ISIS Attacks Against Christians Accross The Globe Foiled
Syrian Security Forces Foil Islamic State Suicide Attacks Targeting Christians, Churches and New Year Celebrations
Syria's Interior Ministry thwarted an Islamic State terror plot to attack churches and civilian gatherings on New Year's Eve, deploying heightened security measures that prevented what could have been a massive attack on Christians celebrating the holiday.
The ministry announced Thursday it received intelligence that ISIS jihadis were planning suicide operations and attacks targeting New Year's celebrations in multiple governorates, particularly the city of Aleppo, by targeting churches and civilian gathering spots.
A security officer was killed and two others wounded by a suspected Islamic State terrorist in Aleppo's Bab al Faraj neighborhood. An officer became suspicious of the man, who opened fire and blew himself up during an attempted arrest, the ministry stated. The incident confirmed the credibility of the intelligence about the planned attacks.
"We took heightened security measures as part of a preemptive response, including strengthening protection around churches, deploying fixed and mobile patrols, and setting up checkpoints across the city," the ministry said according to Turkish state run news outlet Anadolu Agency. The new Syrian government under President Ahmed al Sharaa claims the actions of its agents played a large part in preventing a major terror attack on civilians.
Concerns emerged in 2024 that Islamic State fighters were regrouping in Syria and Iraq by exploiting security gaps to launch attacks. Military sources sounded the alarm that ISIS was activating sleeper cells and bolstering recruiting amid reduced US military presence in the region.
In November before Sharaa's historic meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House, Syrian security forces launched 61 raids nationwide in which 71 suspected Islamic State operatives were detained.
Authorities in Germany also foiled a terror plot targeting civilians this holiday season, announcing the arrest of three Moroccans, an Egyptian and a Syrian with Islamist motives who wanted to attack a Christmas market in Bavaria.
Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann told German newspaper Bild the excellent cooperation between security services prevented a potentially Islamist motivated attack. In Turkey, authorities arrested 357 suspects tied to an operation against the Islamic State, with raids carried out in 21 provinces according to Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.
TAKE ACTION
• Voice of the Martyrs: Donate at persecution.com to support Syrian Christians facing ongoing ISIS threats and provide security resources for churches in vulnerable areas across the Middle East
• Open Doors International: Contact opendoorsusa.org to fund emergency response teams and security training for Christian communities in Syria and Iraq facing Islamic State resurgence
• Barnabas Fund: Give at barnabasfund.org to provide direct aid to Syrian Christians and support church security measures preventing terrorist attacks on worship services
• Demand US Protection: Email your senators and representatives demanding continued US military presence in Syria to suppress ISIS and protect Christian minorities from Islamic State genocide
• International Christian Concern: Support icc.org providing security assessments, emergency evacuation plans, and protective resources for churches across Syria facing jihadi terror threats
Your Action: Syria just saved Christian lives while Britain arrests Christians for praying. Share this story everywhere. Make people see the contrast. Demand Western governments protect Christians with the same vigor Syria showed on New Year's Eve. And pray for Syrian believers, because ISIS isn't done trying to kill them. They just failed once. They'll try again.
