Syrian intelligence has thwarted an attempt by ISIL militants to bomb the revered Sayyida Zeinab shrine in the southern outskirts of Damascus, the state news agency SANA reported on Saturday.

According to an intelligence source, the General Intelligence Directorate arrested several suspects linked to the plot, preventing what could have been another devastating attack on one of Syria’s most visited Shia pilgrimage sites.

The interior ministry released photographs of four men identified as members of an ISIL cell arrested in rural areas outside the capital. The images also displayed weapons, explosives, and communication devices reportedly seized from the group.

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Among the evidence were identity documents of two Lebanese nationals and a Palestinian refugee residing in Lebanon, the report stated.

Targeting a sacred landmark

The Sayyida Zeinab shrine, believed to be the resting place of the Prophet Muhammad's granddaughter, holds immense religious significance for Shia Muslims. It has been repeatedly targeted in past years by ISIL and other armed groups.

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“This shrine has faced numerous attacks in the past,” Al Jazeera correspondent Hamza Mohamed reported from Damascus. “In 2008, a car bomb killed 17 people, and ISIL was responsible for a double suicide bombing in 2016 that claimed 134 lives.”

The latest attempt follows a July 2023 bombing near the shrine that killed six people.

Sectarian motivations

Shia shrines in both Syria and Iraq have frequently been attacked by Sunni-led groups such as ISIL, heightening sectarian tensions in the region.

Iran-backed forces, once deployed to guard the Sayyida Zeinab shrine, withdrew last month amid significant shifts in Syria’s conflict. Their withdrawal coincided with Sunni-led rebel advances into Damascus, further complicating the country’s fragile security landscape.

Syrian authorities have emphasised their ongoing efforts to safeguard the diverse fabric of their society. “The General Intelligence Directorate is utilizing all resources to counter threats to the Syrian people in all their diversity,” the intelligence official told SANA.