A United Nations report has revealed that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and two senior cabinet ministers were the targets of five foiled assassination attempts during 2025, underscoring ongoing instability and militant threats in post-civil war Syria.
The attempts — which also targeted Interior Minister Anas Hasan Khattab and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani — occurred in the provinces of Aleppo and Daraa, the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism assessment said. The sources attributed the plots to a group identified as Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah, assessed by UN experts to be a front for the Islamic State (IS) group, seeking to exploit security vacuums in Syria.
The report did not provide specific dates or operational details of each plot, but it emphasized that these efforts reflect the persistent threat from IS-linked networks, even after the widely reported end of Syria’s long civil war period and the transitional government’s formation. Analysts say the ongoing threat highlights challenges for Syria’s government as it tries to consolidate authority and prevent renewed violence.
