The new Syrian government's intelligence has foiled a plan by the "Islamic State" to bomb a Shiite mosque in a Damascus suburb – Saida Zeinab, the Associated Press reported, citing Syrian state media, BTA writes.
The state news agency SANA reported that members of the "Islamic State" cell that planned the attack had been detained, and intelligence services "are using all their capabilities to confront all attempts to attack the Syrian people from all minorities."
The Shiites in Saida Zeinab have previously been targeted by "Islamic State," the AP recalls.
The announcement of the prevented attack appears to be intended to provide new reassurance from the country's new leaders about the security of religious minorities, including those believed to have been supporters of the former government of Bashar al-Assad, the Associated Press notes. press.
Assad, who belonged to the Alawite minority, was an ally of Iran and the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah.
„Hayat Tahrir al-Sham“ (HTS), the former militant group that led the lightning offensive that toppled Assad's regime last month and now effectively rules the country, is a Sunni Islamist group that has had ties to the terrorist organization „Al Qaeda“ in the past.