Media: Iraqi intelligence aided foil assassination plot against Syrian president

Iraqi intelligence services provided key information that helped Syrian authorities thwart an assassination attempt against President Ahmad al-Sharaa about six months ago, according to a senior Iraqi security official who spoke to An-Nahar.

The official said Baghdad had shared “detailed intelligence” with Damascus about the plan, which coincided with preparations by extremist groups to stage bombings in minority areas across Syria aimed at triggering sectarian violence. Coordinated efforts between the two countries’ security agencies ultimately disrupted both the assassination and bombing plots, Caliber.Az quotes an article by An-Nahar. 

The source attributed the attempts to former fighters of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) who defected after becoming disillusioned with Sharaa’s leadership following his rise to power after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad. Many of these defectors, the official added, have since rejoined ISIS, including both Iraqis and Syrians.

An Iraqi political source also told An-Nahar that Syrian intelligence separately foiled another plot targeting Sharaa inside the presidential palace in Damascus, though it remains unclear if this was the same operation. Syrian authorities have repeatedly denied past media reports of assassination attempts, including one in June that was alleged to have been orchestrated by ISIS.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani met Sharaa in Doha in April, in a meeting brokered by Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad. Both sides are also coordinating on the protection of Shiite shrines in Syria and easing hostile rhetoric in the media.

By Sabina Mammadli