IS claims first bombing against al-Sharaa's army
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A remote-controlled bomb killed one and injured three in Sweida as IS targets Syrian troops for the first time since al-Assad's departure.
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Syria’s security forces deployed at a highway in Sweida Province, on Thursday, May 1, 2025 (AP)
The so-called Islamic State (IS) group has claimed responsibility for its first attack on Syria’s newly formed government since the ouster of longtime president Bashar al-Assad, according to war monitors cited Thursday. The assault marks a symbolic reemergence of IS targeting Syrian state forces under the country’s new leadership.
In a statement relayed by the SITE Intelligence Group, IS said it had planted an "explosive device" targeting a military vehicle belonging to Syrian forces in the southern province of Sweida. The bombing, which occurred on Wednesday, was reportedly carried out using a remote-controlled landmine.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) confirmed the incident, stating that the explosion struck a patrol from the army’s 70th Division, killing one individual and injuring three soldiers. The person killed, according to SOHR, had been accompanying Syrian troops in the desert terrain.
Monitors confirm deadly Sweida blast targeting patrol
According to both SITE and SOHR, this operation represents the first Islamic State attack in post-Assad Syria officially claimed by the group, signaling a potential shift in its operational focus as it adapts to the political transformation in Damascus.
IS, once in control of vast swathes of Syria and Iraq, was territorially defeated in 2019. Since then, the group has largely retreated to remote desert areas, launching sporadic hit-and-run attacks.
Though attacks in regions now governed by the post-Assad Syrian government have been relatively rare, IS maintains a presence across Syria’s sparsely populated central and southern deserts. The IS attack in Sweida suggests the group may be testing the capacity and response of the newly structured military apparatus under President Ahmad al-Sharaa.
Earlier this week, Syrian officials announced the arrest of several IS operatives near Damascus, claiming the militants were in the final stages of planning a series of attacks. A separate operation carried out in Aleppo earlier this month led to the deaths of three IS fighters and one member of the security forces.
Syrian forces arrest militants near Damascus, Aleppo
Security officials say these operations are part of a broader counterterrorism campaign to suppress a potential IS resurgence in Syria, especially amid fears that power shifts in Damascus could open new vulnerabilities.
The SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors Islamist communications and propaganda, noted that IS’s latest claim may signal a formal shift toward reengaging Syrian government forces after years of focusing on rival militias and Kurdish-led units.
The new Syrian government’s counterterrorism efforts were also a point of discussion during a recent summit in Riyadh, where US President Donald Trump met with President Ahmad al-Sharaa. According to a White House statement, Trump urged Syria’s new leadership to “help the United States to prevent the resurgence of IS.”
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