Dimasheq
The Syrian Ministry of Interior has revealed details of the terrorist bombing carried out by ISIS targeting the Mar Elias Church in the Dweilaa district of Damascus in June 2025. The ministry also announced that it had foiled an ISIS plot targeting the Sayyida Zainab Shrine near Damascus, stressing that the objective of these attacks was to incite sectarian strife, undermine social cohesion, and turn public opinion against the Syrian government.
Deputy Minister of Interior Abdul Qader Al-Tahan stated that ISIS exploited the initial period following Syria’s liberation, during which the collapse of the country’s security and military institutions and the absence of security forces created a security vacuum. The group moved from the Syrian desert into several provinces and managed to seize weapons and explosives depots, enabling it to carry out a number of attacks during that period.
Al-Tahan added that approximately 99% of ISIS operations before the liberation had targeted opposition factions. However, the group’s strategy later shifted toward attacking other components of Syrian society, including planning an attack on the Sayyida Zainab Shrine, a site of significance for Shiite Muslims, and carrying out the attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus targeting the Christian community.
He further confirmed that the Ministry of Interior, in cooperation with the Intelligence Service, has strengthened its counterterrorism capabilities, resulting in the arrest of 1,300 ISIS members and the dismantling of 34 terrorist cells.
