UN says 5 ISIS-linked assassination plots targeted top Syrian leaders
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The United Nations said on Wednesday that Syria’s Transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa and two senior ministers were the targets of five foiled assassination attempts in 2025, underscoring the continued threat posed by Islamic State (ISIS) militants despite the group’s territorial defeat.
In a report, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said President Ahmad al-Sharaa, Interior Minister Anas Hassan Khattab, and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani were all targeted in planned attacks that were ultimately thwarted.
According to the report, prepared by the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, al-Sharaa was targeted in the northern countryside of Aleppo and in the southern countryside of Daraa. The attempts were linked to a group known as Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah, which UN experts assessed to be a front organization for ISIS.
The report did not disclose specific dates or operational details surrounding the assassination attempts, citing security considerations.
UN officials said the incidents demonstrate that ISIS remains intent on destabilizing Syria’s new government and continues to “actively exploit security vacuums and uncertainty” across the country.
Al-Sharaa was described in the report as a “primary target” of the extremist group. The use of front organizations, such as Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah, was assessed to provide ISIS with plausible deniability while enhancing its operational capabilities.
Despite sustained counterterrorism operations, ISIS cells continue to operate across Syria, the report said, with attacks largely directed at security forces, particularly in northern and northeastern regions.
UN counterterrorism experts estimate that ISIS maintains around 3,000 militants across Syria and Iraq, with the majority believed to be based inside Syrian territory.