Syrian authorities thwarted an ISIS attempt to bomb the revered Sayyida Zaynab Shia shrine in a Damascus suburb, according to a source within Syria’s intelligence agency. The foiled bombing was confirmed by the state news agency SANA on Saturday.
Intelligence and security forces successfully prevented the attack, with the source stating, “The Special Forces succeeded in thwarting an attempt by ISIS to carry out a bombing inside the Sayyida Zaynab shrine.”
The Syrian Interior Ministry released photographs of four men arrested outside the capital, whom they identified as members of an ISIS cell. The images also revealed equipment seized from the suspects, including smartphones, two rifles, three explosive devices, and several hand grenades.
The photos further showed identification documents belonging to two Lebanese nationals and a Palestinian refugee residing in Lebanon.
The Sayyida Zaynab shrine, a major Shia pilgrimage site in Syria, has been historically protected by Iran-backed forces, particularly after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011. These fighters had previously guarded the gates of the shrine until their retreat ahead of opposition forces entering Damascus last month.
Shia shrines are frequent targets of Sunni extremist groups like ISIS, who have carried out attacks in both Syria and neighboring Iraq. The Damascus shrine was previously targeted by ISIS, which claimed responsibility for a bombing in July 2023 that killed at least six people near the mausoleum.
