Syrian Authorities Foil ISIL Plot to Target Sayyida Zeinab Shrine

Syrian intelligence has successfully thwarted an attempt by ISIL militants to target the Sayyida Zeinab shrine on the southern outskirts of Damascus, according to reports by the state news agency, SANA.
An intelligence source stated that the General Intelligence Directorate arrested several suspects linked to the plot, preventing a devastating attack on one of Syria’s most significant Shia pilgrimage sites.
The Ministry of the Interior released photographs of four individuals identified as members of an ISIL cell arrested in rural areas outside the capital. The images also displayed weapons, explosives, and communication devices seized from the group.
Among the evidence were identity documents of two Lebanese nationals and a Palestinian refugee living in Lebanon.
The Sayyida Zeinab shrine, believed to be the burial place of the Prophet Muhammad’s granddaughter, holds great religious importance for Shia Muslims. It has been repeatedly targeted by ISIL and other armed groups in the past.
In 2008, a car bomb killed 17 people near the shrine, and in 2016, ISIL was responsible for a double suicide bombing that claimed 134 lives.
The latest attempt follows a bombing near the shrine in July 2023, which resulted in six fatalities.
Shia shrines in both Syria and Iraq have frequently been attacked by Sunni-led groups such as ISIL, escalating sectarian tensions in the region.
Iran-backed forces, who had been deployed to guard the Sayyida Zeinab shrine, withdrew last month, marking significant shifts in Syria’s conflict and coinciding with Sunni-led rebel advances into Damascus.
Syrian authorities emphasized their ongoing efforts to protect the diverse fabric of their society, with the General Intelligence Directorate using all available resources to counter threats to the Syrian people.