Syrian authorities foiled an attempted attack by the so-called "Islamic State" (IS) group on a Shiite Muslim shrine in a southern suburb of Damascus, state news agency SANA reported on Saturday.

Intelligence and security forces "succeeded in thwarting an attempt by IS to carry out a bombing inside the Sayyida Zainab shrine," the report said, citing a source within Syria's intelligence agency.

The source said the suspected IS members who had planned the attack had been arrested.

It said authorities were using "all [their] capabilities to stand in the face of all attempts to target the Syrian people in all its components."

What is the situation of Syria's religious minority groups?

Over 70% of Syrians are Sunni Muslims, while Shiites make up around 3%of the population.

Syrian interim leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, who heads the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has promised to respect the rights of minority groups following the December toppling of former dictator Bashar Assad.

Assad himself belongs to the Alawite community, who make up around 10% of Syria's population. The sect is generally considered to be an offshoot of Shiite Islam.

While IS has largely been defeated in territories it once held in eastern Syria, analysts have warned that various cells belonging to the extremist group are still active in the country.

Earlier this month, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock met with al-Sharaa and said Berlin could lift sanctions on the Levantine country if Damascus implements an "inclusive political process" and guarantees human rights.

sdi/ab (AFP, AP, Reuters)