Damascus forces foil ISIS attack in Deir Ezzor, one officer killed
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Syrian security forces foiled an ISIS suicide attack in al-Mayadin, killing both assailants but losing one officer in the clash.
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A security officer killed in an ISIS attack on a military checkpoint in Deir Ezzor (Al Mayadeen archives)
The Internal Security Forces in Syria's Deir Ezzor province announced on Friday that they had thwarted a terrorist attack carried out by two ISIS operatives in the city of al-Mayadin.
According to provincial security chief Derrar al-Shamlan, "One of the terrorists attempted to detonate an explosive belt targeting a security checkpoint, while the second, an armed suicide attacker carrying a personal weapon, tried to assault our forces."
He said security units managed to neutralize the first bomber before he could detonate and engaged the second, ultimately killing both.
The Syrian Internal Security Forces confirmed that one of their members was killed while repelling the attack.
الشهيد علي عبد الرحيم خلف الطحير العنصر الذي ارتقى في الهجوم الغادر الذي قام به عناصر داعش الإرهابي على حاجز أمني في مدينة الميادين
— ساري الحمد العقيدي Sari (@SariHamad6) August 22, 2025
الشهيد من بلدة الكشكية -ريف دير الزور الشرقي https://t.co/FWDxZOQwDk pic.twitter.com/lt2vLP5JQz
Syria’s state news agency SANA reported that ISIS also carried out a suicide bombing at the al-Siyasiyah checkpoint in al-Mayadin.
The attack underscores the group’s persistent presence in Deir Ezzor, a region where ISIS cells continue to exploit the rugged terrain of the Syrian Badia (desert) to launch ambushes, IED attacks, and suicide missions.
The incident follows a blast roughly a week earlier on Damascus’s Mazzeh highway, caused by an improvised explosive device hidden inside an old Austin vehicle parked for a long time.
This indicates that ISIS and other insurgent elements are attempting to move beyond the desert into urban areas like Damascus, Aleppo, and Homs.
ISIS Resurgence
Though ISIS lost its territorial caliphate in 2019, it has reactivated sleeper cells across Syria and Iraq, particularly since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in 2024.
Security officials say the group is redistributing weapons, recruiting fighters, and probing state defenses in both countries.
Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab recently acknowledged that "Daesh is at the top of the list" of threats facing the new administration in Damascus.
According to SITE Intelligence Group, ISIS has claimed 38 attacks in Syria in 2025 so far, significantly fewer than in previous years, but analysts caution this may reflect a restrategizing phase rather than decline.
US officials estimate ISIS retains between 1,500 and 3,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq, with sleeper cells now shifting from desert strongholds into more populated areas.
Read more: Islamic State eyes resurgence in Syria, Iraq, exploiting divisions
