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Syria thwarts two Islamic State plots to assassinate President Sharaa ahead of Trump meeting
Syria thwarted two assassination plots against President Ahmed al-Sharaa by Islamic State terrorists, highlighting his escalating personal threat.
Syria has foiled two separate plots by Islamic State (IS) terrorists to assassinate President Ahmed al-Sharaa in recent months, Reuters reported, highlighting the escalating personal threat facing the Syrian leader as he prepares to join a US-led coalition against the extremist group.
The thwarted plots come just days before Sharaa is due to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, the first visit by a Syrian head of state in history, where the two leaders are expected to finalize Syria’s entry into the global anti-Islamic State coalition.
According to a senior Syrian security official and a senior Middle Eastern diplomat, the assassination attempts were uncovered and neutralized “over the past few months.”
One of the planned attacks reportedly centered on a public appearance Sharaa was scheduled to make, though officials declined to share further details due to the sensitivity of the matter. The Syrian information ministry declined to comment, according to Reuters.
New chapter for Syria
The revelations come at a critical moment for Sharaa, who took power last December after his Islamist rebel movement ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.
Since assuming office, Sharaa has sought to rebrand himself as a pragmatic and moderate leader aiming to stabilize a nation shattered by 14 years of civil war.
His decision to align with Washington and Western partners marks a sharp pivot away from the alliances that defined the Assad era - notably with Russia and Iran - and toward cooperation with the United States and several Arab states.
Officials say the White House meeting is expected to cement that shift, with Sharaa seeking US support for Syria’s postwar reconstruction and international recognition for his government.
Long fight against Islamic State
Syria’s new administration has been waging an intensified campaign against Islamic State, which has attempted a resurgence amid the country’s power vacuum. Over the weekend, the Syrian interior ministry said security forces detained more than 70 suspected IS members in raids across multiple provinces.
The senior Syrian security official said the crackdown was based on intelligence indicating the group was plotting fresh attacks on government institutions and minority communities. “We wanted to send a clear message that we have infiltrated them deeply,” the official said, adding that Syria’s intelligence network would be a “major asset” for the international coalition.
Before taking power, Sharaa led Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a hardline Islamist faction that once served as al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria. He severed ties with al-Qaeda in 2016 and later fought brutal campaigns against Islamic State militants in Idlib and other northern provinces.
Islamic State, which has sought to exploit the shifting political landscape since Assad’s fall, has portrayed Sharaa’s rapprochement with the West as a betrayal of Islam. In June, a suicide bombing at a Damascus church killed 25 people — an attack blamed on IS, though the group did not claim responsibility.
Strengthening ties with Washington
Syrian officials say the government has quietly coordinated with US military planners for several months in operations targeting IS remnants. Formal entry into the coalition is expected to deepen intelligence sharing and military cooperation.
Sharaa’s outreach to the United States is also seen as part of a broader bid to persuade US lawmakers to lift remaining sanctions on Damascus by year’s end.
