Syria, With US Help, Repels IS Attack... Speculation of 'Starting to Improve Relations'

Terror Attack on Religious Facility Near Damascus Foiled in Advance This Month

Syria reportedly thwarted attacks by the extremist terrorist group Islamic State (IS) with the help of classified information provided by the United States, according to the Washington Post (WP) on the 24th (local time). The photo shows a Syrian vehicle destroyed in an Israeli airstrike on Damascus, the capital of Syria, in October last year. (EPA·Yonhap News)

Syria reportedly thwarted attacks by the extremist terrorist group Islamic State (IS) with the help of classified information provided by the United States, the Washington Post (WP) reported on the 24th (local time).

According to the report, Syria blocked IS's terror plans targeting a religious facility on the outskirts of Damascus earlier this month based on U.S. intelligence. Current and former U.S. officials explained that this information sharing aims to achieve the common goal of preventing the resurgence of IS.

The rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which overthrew the Bashar al-Assad regime that ruled Syria with an iron fist and established a new government, had previously declared the goal of building a fundamentalist Islamic state but has recently sent conciliatory signals to the West. In particular, it has declared its intention to suppress the threat of IS, which still remains in some areas such as the southern Syrian desert.

The U.S. has also opened the possibility of improving relations with the new Syrian government by recently canceling the $10 million (about 1.45 billion KRW) bounty placed on HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharae. Currently, the U.S. operates bases in eastern Syria where about 2,000 U.S. troops are stationed to eradicate IS.

However, U.S. officials drew a line, stating that sharing intelligence with the Syrian government does not mean full support for HTS. While they expect HTS to play a role in suppressing IS, HTS cannot be fully trusted as it has placed individuals linked to extremism in key government positions in the past.

Additionally, U.S. intelligence agencies adhere to the principle of sharing terrorism-related information even with adversarial countries when such information is obtained. Last year, the U.S. warned Russia about a planned terrorist attack on a concert hall near Moscow and also conveyed IS's bomb attack plans to Iran. Information sharing and diplomatic exchanges are separate matters.

Former President Joe Biden eased U.S. sanctions on Syria shortly before leaving office, but it remains unclear whether there has been any contact between the two countries since President Donald Trump took office. Matthew Levitt, a researcher at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a U.S. think tank, said, "It is not surprising that U.S. officials would contact Syria for the purpose of suppressing IS," but cautioned, "However, such contact should not be interpreted as closeness."