The Syrian Coalition confirmed the presence of an "organic relationship between the State of Iraq an Sham (ISIS), and the regime of Bashar al-Assad," saying that there is a systematic and well-coordinated effort between the two sides in the "attacks on the holy sites, in order to cover up the massacres committed by the regime on the one hand, and to tarnish the image of the Syrian Revolution on the other." The Syrian Coalition pointed out that the intent behind these seemingly senseless operations by the two parties is to “divert the attention of the world from the truth about what is happening in the country."
 
The statement from the Syrian Coalition came in response to the exposure of the city of Yabrood to a heavy shelling by regime forces, which coincided with the attack on one of the oldest churches in the region as well as the desecration of a statue of the Virgin Mary in al Yaqoubiya in Idlib yesterday. The Syrian Coalition sees these acts as revealing the "mentality of the Assad regime which consistently violates the sanctums of others and the lives of civilians.” It also stressed that "the inability of the international community to stop the regime of Bashar al-Assad and put an end to the unholy tentacles of its supporters within the country which are growing steadily and threatening the future of the Syrian people." He pointed out that both the Assad regime and ISIS "utilize national resources as a source of funding for their terrorist operations" directed at the Syrian people. A statement by the Syrian Coalition yesterday referred to these acts as “detrimental to the sanctity of religions and holy places". The statement added that “It is no secret that such actions only serve to enhance regime policy and its supporters", and that the Assad regime continually seeks to "attribute such disruptive acts to the revolution and its components." The statement added that such acts are “a policy of seeking to sow division between Syrians and fabricating conflicts among them, and to put pressure on the incubator of social revolution." The Syrian Coalition called on all Syrians to exercise caution and stand firmly in the face of such practices and to strongly reject these divisive attitudes “and not to allow the regime’s thugs to create a societal or social rift between the spectra and components of the revolution and the Syrian people. (Source: Syrian Coalition)