The extremist group Islamic State (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for two bomb explosions in Syria, marking its first direct attacks against the new government since it assumed power in December, according to a war monitoring group.
In statements released online on Thursday and reported by the SITE Intelligence Group, ISIS asserted that bombs planted by its members had resulted in casualties among government soldiers and allied militia members.
While the Syrian government has not acknowledged the attacks, it reported conducting two raids against ISIS operatives in the Damascus area within the past week.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group based in Britain, reported that one individual was killed and three members of the Syrian Army’s 70th Division were injured when a patrol was struck by a remote-controlled landmine in Sweida Province on Wednesday. The deceased was accompanying government forces.
The attacks claimed by ISIS occurred in Sweida, a southern province where the group has remained inactive for nearly a decade. However, the government has faced challenges in establishing security in the area, which is predominantly controlled by the Druse minority. Recent sectarian clashes between local militants and pro-government forces in the province resulted in over 100 fatalities in late April and early May.
Despite suffering significant losses a decade ago, the Islamic State has maintained a low-level insurgency in eastern Syria since 2019 and has shown renewed activity following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in December, planning attacks even in Damascus and claiming responsibility for a car bombing and other incidents in eastern Syria.
In response to the potential resurgence of ISIS, the United States has increased its troop presence in Syria to 2,000. U.S. intelligence officials have indicated that the group may attempt to free approximately 9,000 of its members detained in northeastern Syrian prisons, seeking to exploit divisions within the country and vulnerabilities in the new government’s security.
Syrian government forces, utilizing intelligence from the United States, have reportedly thwarted eight planned attacks in Damascus in recent months, including a plot targeting a Shiite shrine, according to Mouaz Moustafa, leader of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, a nonprofit organization advocating for democracy in Syria.
The recent targeting of government forces with roadside bombs signifies a shift in tactics. This development coincides with intensified rhetoric from Islamist factions against President Ahmed al-Shara, who, despite previously leading an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group, has sought to distance himself from terrorist organizations in pursuit of international legitimacy for himself and Syria.
ISIS denounced his government as an “apostate regime” in its claims. Critics have also targeted al-Shara for his perceived inaction against Israel and for his meetings with former President Trump.
Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, a former Al-Qaeda ideologue, recently stated in a message circulated on jihadist platforms that al-Shara should be excommunicated for failing to enforce Shariah law. However, he cautioned against direct attacks on al-Shara’s government unless rebel groups were sufficiently strong to overthrow it, arguing that minor disruptive actions would benefit the enemies of Islam.
Reporting from Damascus, Syria, included contributions from Reham Mourshed.