Damascus, July 11 (SANA) Syrian authorities have continued security and intelligence operations over the past 18 months against terrorist groups and sabotage networks, thwarting a number of plots targeting civilians, places of worship and state institutions amid terrorist attacks that took place across the country between January 2025 and July 2026.
Field reports showed that cells linked to ISIS and remnants of the deposed regime shifted their tactics toward targeting places of worship, the social fabric and judicial institutions, while the competent authorities intensified pre-emptive operations to thwart such plots.
Pre-emptive operations
On January 11, 2025, the General Intelligence Service, in cooperation with the General Security Directorate in Damascus countryside, dismantled a Daesh cell that was planning to bomb the Sayyida Zainab Shrine.
On August 6, 2025, the Internal Security Forces in Tartous province thwarted an attempt to target Mar Elias Church in the city of Safita after seizing an explosive device and arresting two individuals linked to remnants of the former regime.
On March 5, 2026, security authorities, in coordination with Turkish intelligence, carried out an operation in Damascus countryside that resulted in dismantling a Daesh cell and seizing a vehicle rigged with several tons of TNT and C4 explosives. Security campaigns subsequently continued across the provinces of Aleppo, Idlib, Hama, Homs, Deir Ezzor, Raqqa and the Syrian Badia.
The country witnessed a number of terrorist attacks during the same period
On December 26, 2025, a bombing targeted the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in Homs during Friday prayers, killing eight people.
In May 2026, Damascus was hit by a series of attacks, including an explosion in the al-Wuroud neighborhood and a car bomb targeting the Ministry of Defense building in Bab Sharqi, killing one soldier and injuring dozens of others.
On July 3, 2026, an explosive device targeted a café on Al-Nasr Street near the Palace of Justice in Damascus, killing 10 people, most of them lawyers.
On July 7, 2026, twin terrorist bombings near the Ministry of Tourism killed one person and injured dozens.
The competent authorities announced the arrest of all members of the cell responsible for the twin bombings near the Ministry of Tourism, while preliminary investigations indicated that the cell was linked to Daesh.
Brigadier General, Ahmad al-Dalati, Commander of Internal Security in Damascus countryside, said the operation was carried out under the supervision of the Counterterrorism Directorate after investigators tracked one of the suspects through surveillance cameras, leading to the identification and simultaneous arrest of the remaining members of the cell in al-Husseiniyah and Ish al-Warwar.
For his part, Interior Minister, Anas Khattab, said investigations are underway to uncover all links and identify all those involved before the findings are announced to the public.
Meanwhile, Interior Ministry spokesman, Nour al-Din al-Baba, said the twin bombings had failed to achieve their objective of disrupting the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron and the signing of strategic agreements, adding that the continuation of the visit demonstrated the failure of that attempt.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Yemen, Libya, Somalia and Palestine, along with the League of Arab States, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Muslim World League and the Muslim Council of Elders, condemned the terrorist bombings and reaffirmed their support for Syria in its fight against terrorism.
Iman Alzuheiri/MZ
