Sources mention that one of the plots was related to an official event that President Ash-Shara was supposed to attend. However, details remain closed for security reasons.
According to sources, a high-ranking Syrian security officer and an official from the region confirmed that two assassination attempts on the president's life had been thwarted in recent months. These plots were organized by the ISIS group and occurred just before his visit to Washington.
The Syrian Ministry of Information, while refraining from commenting on specific incidents, emphasized that ISIS continues to pose a serious threat to the security of the country and the region. In a statement to Reuters, the ministry noted that several terrorist attacks on various sites, including religious places, had been prevented over the past 10 months. "Syria remains committed to protecting its people and fighting terrorism," the ministry added.
These events became known just before Ash-Shara's historic visit to the White House, which will take place on Monday. This is the first visit by a Syrian president to the U.S. It is expected that the meeting will officially announce Syria's joining of the international coalition led by the U.S. in the fight against ISIS.
Ash-Shara became president in December last year after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's regime by rebel forces. He hopes that the meeting with Trump will help attract international support for the restoration and reconstruction of Syria.
Over the weekend, the Syrian Ministry of Interior conducted a large-scale operation against ISIS cells across the country, during which more than 70 suspects were detained. High-ranking sources reported that the arrests were based on intelligence data about the group's plans to attack the government and Syrian minorities.
The Ash-Shara government has been actively cooperating with U.S. armed forces in the fight against ISIS for several months; however, formal joining of the coalition is expected after the Syrian president's visit to Washington.
