Syria’s intelligence says it thwarted Islamic State attack on Shi’ite shrine

Jan 11 (Reuters) – Syria’s Intelligence Directorate foiled an attack by the Islamic State group on the Sayeda Zeinab shrine in a Damascus suburb, a site of mass pilgrimage for Shi’ites, state news agency Sana reported on Saturday.

It said members of the cell were arrested before they could detonate an explosion inside the shrine.

The foiled attack will stoke fears that Islamic State is hoping to stage a comeback in Syria following the fall last month of President Bashar al-Assad.

Some Syrians and foreign powers have worried that the country’s new leaders, who are from the Sunni Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group that forced Assad out on Dec. 8, may impose strict Islamic governance on a country with numerous minority groups such as Druze, Kurds, Christians and Shi’ites.

But the announcement by Syria’s de facto government that it thwarted an attack targeting Shi’ite Muslims comes amid reassurances it will protect religious minorities.

“The General Intelligence Directorate is utilizing all its resources to confront all attempts to target the Syrian people in all their diversity,” an intelligence official told Sana.

Islamic State, the Sunni Muslim militant group, has claimed previous attacks in and around the shrine, including last year and a bombing in 2017 that killed at least 40 people.

The granddaughter of the Prophet Mohammad, Sayeda Zeinab is venerated by Shi’ite Muslims and the mosque and shrine 10 kilometers south of Damascus attracts Shi’ite pilgrims from around the region.

Defence of the shrine had been a rallying call during Syria’s 13-year civil war that drew Shi’ite militiamen from around the region to back former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

But Assad’s ouster last month significantly diminished the position of Shi’ite forces in Syria, including Iran and the Tehran-allied Lebanese group Hezbollah.