Syria govt denies reports of IS assassination attempt on al-Sharaa

Syria's government has denied reports of a thwarted assassination attempt on  Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in the southern province of Daraa, state news agency SANA reported on Saturday.

Lebanese TV channel LBCI reported that a cell from the extremist Islamic State group had plotted to kill the president during an official visit to Daraa on 6 June. The report added that the would-be assassin was arrested a day before al-Sharaa's arrival, based on information from Syrian and Turkish intelligence agencies.

Similar reports appeared in Turkish and Israeli media outlets.

Earlier in June, US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack warned of serious threats to al-Sharaa due to his attempts to reach out to Syria's minorities and engage with the West.

Speaking to Al-Monitor, Barrack said that the Trump administration is concerned that al-Sharaa could be targeted by those seeking to obstruct the political process in Syria.

“We need to coordinate a protection system around [Sharaa],"Barrack said.

Speaking to The New Arab's Arabic-language sister service, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Syrian journalist Mohammed Bishr said al-Sharaa could be targeted by several groups, both from Syria and abroad.

This includes Iran, who Bishr said despite being in recovery from its recent war with Israel, could be foremost among those seeking to derail al-Sharaa's government and restore the former Assad regime.

Bishr also said he would also not rule out Israel carrying out such a move without US approval.