L’Orient-Le Jour: The Syrian president survived two assassination attempts in recent months
The French-Lebanese newspaper L’Orient-Le Jour revealed that Syrian transitional President Ahmed al Sharaa has been the target of at least two assassination attempts since assuming power last December.
The newspaper quoted diplomatic sources as saying that the first attempt occurred last March, while the second occurred about two weeks ago, and confirmed that responsibility for these attacks lies with jihadist groups, including the Islamic State (ISIS).
A diplomatic source told the newspaper that ISIS is seeking to mobilize Hay’at Tahrir al Sham fighters, who are hostile to al Sharaa’s reforms, in an attempt to disrupt his political career.
In this context, the US Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, warned of serious threats targeting President al Sharaa, indicating that extremist factions are seeking to assassinate him to hinder his openness to Syrian communities and the West.
In an interview with Al Monitor website, Barrack confirmed that the administration of former US President Donald Trump was concerned that al Sharaa could become a target for assassination by opposition militants.
He called for coordinating a protection system for the president through intelligence sharing with allies, emphasizing that the response shouldn’t be military.
Barrack pointed to attempts by some defecting factions of foreign fighters who had participated with al Sharaa in the campaign against Assad’s regime to lure them into the ranks of extremist organizations such as ISIS, warning that delaying economic relief increases the chances of extremist groups disrupting the political process in Syria.
