Abdullah al-Sharida standing next to his destroyed SUV after the failed assassination attempt. Via Facebook.
On October 17, Abdullah al-Sharida, cochairman of the Reconciliation Committee in the southern Syrian governorate of al-Quneitra, survived an assassination attempt in his hometown al-Kusajba.
Upon inspecting his SUV before leaving his house in the morning, al-Shariday found a magnetic improvised explosive device that was planted right under the driver seat. He quickly informed the authorities.
Explosives experts detonated the device under the SUV after failing to remove it safely, likely because the fuse was connected to a movement sensor. No one was harmed by the controlled explosion.
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According to the Syrian Arab News Agency, this was the fourth attempt to assassinate al-Sharida who is deeply involved in the reconciliation process in al-Quneitra.
The state-run news agency said that “terrorists” attempting to sabotage the reconciliation process were behind the assassination attempts.
Israel has been actively contributing to instability in al-Quneitra. Just a day earlier, the Israeli military assassinated Medhat al-Saleh, director of the Golan Affairs Office in the Syrian government and an ex-lawmaker, while he was visiting a site right on the Separation of Forces Line with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.