UN reports multiple attempted assassinations targeting Syrian officials and ministers

UN Report Reveals Multiple Foiled Assassination Attempts Against Syrian Officials

A report by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism has confirmed that five assassination attempts were made against high-ranking officials in Syria over the past year. The targets included Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Interior Minister Anas Hasan Khattab, and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani.

According to the report, these plots were attributed to a group called “Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah”, which is believed to be a front organization for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The group’s activities are thought to provide ISIL with plausible deniability while allowing it to carry out attacks with improved operational capacity.

The foiled attempts took place in northern Aleppo and southern Deraa provinces, both of which are among Syria’s most populous regions. The UN report notes that these incidents demonstrate the ongoing threat posed by ISIL, which is actively exploiting security vacuums and uncertainty to undermine the new Syrian administration.

The group, formerly led by al-Sharaa, has maintained a significant presence in Syria despite losing its territorial base. According to estimates, ISIL commands approximately 3,000 fighters across Iraq and Syria, with most based in Syria.

Recent incidents have highlighted the lethality of ISIL’s sleeper cells, including an ambush near Palmyra on December 13, 2025, which resulted in the deaths of two US servicemen and an American civilian. The Syrian government has taken control of camps housing ISIL suspects and their families, with over 25,740 people remaining in the al-Hol and Roj camps as of December.

The UN report also notes that thousands of detainees remain in these camps, many of whom are children. Efforts to transfer ISIL detainees to secure facilities in Iraq have been underway since January, with Baghdad pledging to prosecute the fighters.

Source: Al Jazeera