Syria Foiled Two ISIS Plots to Assassinate President Ahmad al-Sharaa Amidst Expected Coalition Entry

Two senior officials (a Middle Eastern official and a Syrian security official) revealed that Syria foiled two separate ISIS plots targeting the assassination of President Ahmad al-Sharaa over the past few months.

Confirmation of Direct Threat and Policy Shift

• Personal Threat: These assassination attempts confirm the direct and serious threat facing the Syrian President as he seeks to consolidate power in a country ravaged by a 14-year civil war.

• Personal Dimension to Coalition: Foiling the plots adds a personal dimension to al-Sharaa's plans to join the US-led International Coalition against ISIS, an organization with which he has long been engaged in confrontations.

• Imminent Entry: The US Special Envoy to Syria, Tom Brack, announced earlier this month that al-Sharaa might sign an agreement on Monday to join the Washington-led international anti-ISIS coalition.

Coalition Context

The International Coalition defeated ISIS militarily in Syria in 2019, in cooperation with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is currently negotiating a merger with the Syrian Army.