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UN report on Syria plots
A UN Office of Counter-Terrorism report circulated to the Security Council says five foiled assassination attempts over the past year targeted Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa and two senior ministers, Interior Minister Anas Hasan Khattab and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani.
“A UN Office of Counter‑Terrorism report says five foiled assassination attempts over the past year targeted Syrian President Ahmed al‑Sharaa and two senior ministers (Interior Minister Anas Hasan Khattab and Foreign Minister Asaad al‑Shaibani) in northern Aleppo and Deraa; the UN did not give specific dates.”
Several outlets report the plots were uncovered in northern Aleppo and southern Daraa.
The UN report did not provide specific dates for the incidents.
Some outlets described the report as the UN secretary-general's latest (22nd) assessment of the ISIS threat.
The assessment documents the five plots and warns that terrorist networks in Syria retain sustained operational capacity despite coalition efforts to contain them.
UN assessment of IS front
The UN assessment links the five plots to a group calling itself Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah, which UN experts assess is operating as an Islamic State front.
The designation is described as giving IS "plausible deniability" and enhanced operational reach.
Several sources repeat the UN's assessment that Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah is not formally listed but functions as an IS front, and others add operational allegations such as involvement in a Damascus church bombing last summer.
Reporting across outlets thus combines the UN's formal analytical judgement with additional claims about the front group's activities.
Assassination plots and reporting
Reporting identifies Ahmed al‑Sharaa as the primary target, noting he was reportedly targeted twice in northern Aleppo and southern Daraa.
“Sharaa was targeted twice (in northern Aleppo and southern Daraa) by Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah...”
Other reported targets included the interior and foreign ministers.
Some outlets say Syrian security forces intercepted the plots with help from intelligence from a neighbouring country.
A UN report and multiple media accounts give limited operational detail, often noting locations and targets but giving no dates or further operational specifics.
As a result, aspects of timing and tactics remain unclear in public reporting.
ISIL presence and recent ambush
The UN report links the deadly December 13 ambush near Palmyra with the ongoing presence of IS fighters as part of the same broader threat picture.
Despite territorial losses, UN experts estimate ISIL still maintains roughly 3,000 fighters across Iraq and Syria, with most located in Syria.
Some sources say the Palmyra ambush killed two U.S. servicemen and an American civilian, an incident that underlines continuing violent actions and prompted U.S. military responses.
Outlets also report transfers of suspected IS detainees to Iraq for prosecution as part of broader counter‑terrorism steps.
Political and security context
The report and media coverage place the assassination plots within a wider political and security context.
“The security picture is further complicated by thousands of detainees and family members in large camps—after a ceasefire with Kurdish-led forces the Syrian government took control of camps such as al‑Hol and Roj, which held more than 25,740 people in December, over 60% of them children.”
Ahmed al-Sharaa is repeatedly described as a former Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader who became president after rebels ousted Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
His government is reported to have joined the international anti-IS coalition in November.
Coverage also highlights large detainee camps such as al-Hol and Roj now under government control after a ceasefire.
The coverage mentions transfers of suspected IS fighters to Iraq for prosecution, all of which the UN report cites as complicating the security picture.