The new Syrian state led by Ahmad al-Sharaa faces multiple internal challenges threatening to destabilize its fragile socio-political landscape. A major threat is posed by Sunni Salafi-jihadi elements, most notably the Islamic State’s local branch, known as Al-Sham Province. Since early 2025, the group has systematically targeted the religious figures and sites of non-Sunni minority groups, as well as state personnel serving the new Syrian state, in a calculated effort to foment civil unrest and degrade the administration’s governance capacity.
Recent attacks conducted by Al-Sham Province across Syria in May and June 2026 demonstrate that IS is an adaptable group capable of reconstituting its forces after major setbacks, such as the group’s loss of territorial control in Syria by 2019. While limited in scale compared to its operations during the previous decade, these deadly attacks utilized sophisticated capabilities and complex tactics involving combined IED and shooting attacks.
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