Latest news with #SyrianArmy
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
ISIS claims responsibility for 2 bomb explosions in Syria
May 31 (UPI) -- The Islamic State claimed responsibility for two bomb attacks in a remote region in southern Syria on Wednesday and Thursday. The twin bombings mark the first time ISIS has attacked the new Syrian government that took power in December and occurred in the remote Sweida Province. ISIS posted two online statements on Thursday claiming responsibility for the bombings that killed and wounded Syrian soldiers and militia members who are allied with the Syrian government, The New York Times reported. An attack occurred on Wednesday and struck a Syrian Army reconnaissance group that was tracking ISIS activities in the remote desert area, CNN reported. Those wounded in that attack are members of the Syrian Army's 70th Division, and the man who died was assisting the soldiers, according to The New York Times. ISIS used a remote-controlled land mine to target the vehicle in which they were traveling, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced. That attack occurred in the eastern portion of the Sweida Province and was the first attack carried out by ISIS and targeting forces allied with the new Syrian government. A second bombing occurred on Thursday in the same region, according to news reports and ISIS. ISIS said it killed and injured seven soldiers for the "apostate Syrian regime" by using an explosive device on a road in the Talul al Safa area in the Suwayda province in southern Syria, Al Jazeera reported. Both attacks occurred near Sweida in southern Syria, which is a mountainous desert area in which ISIS has operated for many years. Neither the Syrian government nor the Free Syrian Army has commented on either bombing. The United States backs the Free Syrian Army, which operates in the Sweida region's al Tanf Deconfliction Zone that is located near Syria's borders with Jordan. The United States maintains a small outpost in the area. ISIS also has operated in the area for a long time due to its "extremely rugged and dangerous" terrain, CNN reported. Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump said he he was lifting "crippling" U.S. sanctions on Syria originally imposed to block flows of money into Syria, including aid, to put pressure on the brutal regime of ousted President Bashar al-Assad. He met with the country's transitional leader, President Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May14. Al-Sharaa, who was appointed president in January, has promised to hold elections once a new constitution is in place in around four years.
UPI
2 days ago
- Politics
- UPI
ISIS claims responsibility for 2 bomb explosions in Syria
ISIS forces in a remote region in southern Syria claimed responsibility for two bombings targeting vehicles carrying soldiers and others on Wednesday and Thursday. Photo by Fayyaz Ahmad/EPA-EFE May 31 (UPI) -- The Islamic State claimed responsibility for two bomb attacks in a remote region in southern Syria on Wednesday and Thursday. The twin bombings mark the first time ISIS has attacked the new Syrian government that took power in December and occurred in the remote Sweida Province. ISIS posted two online statements on Thursday claiming responsibility for the bombings that killed and wounded Syrian soldiers and militia members who are allied with the Syrian government, The New York Times reported. An attack occurred on Wednesday and struck a Syrian Army reconnaissance group that was tracking ISIS activities in the remote desert area, CNN reported. Those wounded in that attack are members of the Syrian Army's 70th Division, and the man who died was assisting the soldiers, according to Tthe New York Times. ISIS used a remote-controlled land mine to target the vehicle in which they were traveling, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced. That attack occurred in the eastern portion of the Sweida Province and was the first attack carried out by ISIS and targeting forces allied with the new Syrian government. A second bombing occurred on Thursday in the same region, according to news reports and ISIS. ISIS said it killed and injured seven soldiers for the "apostate Syrian regime" by using an explosive device on a road in the Talul al Safa area in the Suwayda province in southern Syria, Al Jazeera reported. Both attacks occurred near Sweida in southern Syria, which is a mountainous desert area in which ISIS has operated for many years. Neither the Syrian government nor the Free Syrian Army has commented on either bombing. The United States backs the Free Syrian Army, which operates in the Sweida region's al Tanf Deconfliction Zone that is located near Syria's borders with Egypt and Jordan. The United States maintains a small outpost in the area. ISIS also has operated in the area for a long time due to its "extremely rugged and dangerous" terrain, CNN reported. Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump said he he was lifting "crippling" U.S. sanctions on Syria originally imposed to block flows of money into Syria, including aid, to put pressure on the brutal regime of ousted President Bashar al-Assad. He met with the country's transitional leader, President Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May14. Al-Sharaa, who was appointed president in January, has promised to hold elections once a new constitution is in place in around four years.
New York Times
3 days ago
- General
- New York Times
Islamic State Says It Targeted Syrian Forces in Bombings
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for two bomb explosions, the first time the extremist group has directly targeted the new government since it took over in December, a war monitoring group said. In two statements posted online on Thursday and reported by the SITE Intelligence Group, ISIS claimed that bombs laid by its members had killed and wounded government soldiers and allied militia members. The Syrian government did not report any attacks by ISIS in the area, but announced that it had conducted two raids against Islamic State operatives in the Damascus area in the past week. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, reported that one person was killed and three members of the Syrian Army's 70th Division were wounded when a patrol was hit by a remote-controlled land mine in the east of Sweida Province on Wednesday. The man killed was accompanying the government forces, it said. The two attacks claimed by ISIS took place in the southern province of Sweida, where the group has not been active for the best part of a decade. But the government has struggled to establish security in the province, which is effectively controlled by the Druse minority. Sectarian clashes between local militants and pro-government forces in the province killed more than 100 in late April and early May. The Islamic State, which controlled large parts of Iraq and Syria a decade ago until U.S. and allied Syrian forces largely defeated it, has continued a low-level insurgency in eastern Syria since 2019. But it has shown a renewed vigor since the fall of the dictator Bashar al-Assad in December, plotting attacks even in the capital, Damascus, and claiming responsibility for a car bombing among other attacks in eastern Syria. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Al Arabiya
3 days ago
- General
- Al Arabiya
ISIS claims first attack on new Syria forces since al-Assad fall: monitors
ISIS on Thursday claimed its first attack on Syria's new government forces since the fall of longtime Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, two war monitors said. In a statement picked up by SITE Intelligence Group, ISIS said it had planted an 'explosive device' on a Syrian forces' vehicle in the southern province of Sweida. SITE and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said it was the first ISIS-claimed attack on Syria's new government. SOHR said that one person was killed and three members of the Syrian army's 70th Division were injured when a patrol was hit by a remote-control landmine on Wednesday. The man killed was accompanying the Syrian government forces in the desert area, according to SOHR. Once in control of large swathes of Syria and Iraq, ISIS was territorially defeated in Syria in 2019 largely due to the efforts of Kurdish-led forces supported by an international coalition. It has maintained a presence mainly in the country's vast desert. Reported attacks by the group in areas controlled by the Syrian government, which took power after al-Assad's ouster in December, have been scarce. However, they have continuously carried out attacks on Kurdish-led forces in the northeast. This week, Syrian authorities said they arrested members of an ISIS cell near Damascus, accusing them of preparing attacks. Another government operation in the northern city of Aleppo this month saw the death of one security forces officer and three ISIS members. During a meeting with Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh this month, US President Donald Trump called on him to 'help the United States to prevent the resurgence of ISIS,' according to the White House.
Arab News
4 days ago
- General
- Arab News
Lebanon takes border measures in coordination with Damascus to curb smuggling
BEIRUT: Lebanese and Syrian delegations met in Damascus this week to discuss procedures for controlling cross-border smuggling, especially drug trafficking. The Syrian Interior Ministry announced that both sides discussed developments on the Lebanon-Syria border and ways to enhance cooperation to control it and prevent smuggling operations. It said that Maj. Gen. Ahmed Latouf, assistant minister for police affairs, on Tuesday evening met with a Lebanese army delegation headed by Brig. Gen. Michel Boutros. Chief of the Syrian army's general staff, Maj. Gen. Ali Al-Naasan and Boutros had previously held a meeting to enhance military coordination between the two countries. In a statement released by the Syrian Arab News Agency, the interior ministry said the meeting between Naasan and Boutros was part of a series of ongoing discussions between them. According to the release, the chief of operations in Syria also attended the talks. A Lebanese military source said that the Lebanese army was enhancing its presence along the land border with Syria and maintaining strict control over areas known for smuggling, noting that similar measures were being taken on the Syrian side. Two days ago, Hamish Cowell, the UK ambassador to Lebanon, said on X that he had visited the eastern border of Lebanon with Syria the previous week. During his visit, he observed how the Lebanese army's new forward operating bases supported counter-smuggling efforts and improved border security. The ambassador commended the soldiers of the Land Border Regiment for their efforts in defending Lebanon, emphasizing that UK support is ongoing. The UK had previously provided watchtowers to help secure the borders. The Lebanese army command had clarified to the Syrian side that the watchtowers were to monitor the border, prevent the infiltration of terrorists, and control the smuggling of people, drugs, weapons, and contraband from and into Lebanon. The army added that equipment installed in the towers was exclusively connected to the Lebanese military command and that cameras were aimed to monitor Lebanese rather than Syrian territory. The purpose was to observe the movement of people and vehicles outside official border crossings and to prevent infiltration and smuggling activities on the Lebanese side of the border. Lebanon shares a border with Syria that extends over 350 kilometers, threading through towns, villages, rugged terrain, and mountainous areas. Much of this border is unmarked, allowing for the smuggling of people, goods, fuel, weapons, ammunition, wanted individuals, and stolen vehicles. Hezbollah manages dozens of crossings, because the areas around these crossings are supportive environments for the party. The Lebanese government has identified 136 illegal border crossings between Lebanon and Syria, a number that increased during the Syrian war. In comparison, there are only six official border crossings between the two countries, which are in the northern and eastern regions. The Army Command announced on Thursday, the day after the Damascus meeting, that it had thwarted an attempt to smuggle a large quantity of drugs and fuel in the area between Yahfoufa and Baalbek. Nine suspects were arrested. Army units detained 26 Syrians illegally present in the Bekaa region, along with a Lebanese citizen in the Arsal-Baalbek highlands who was trying to smuggle fuel and other materials. On Lebanon's southern border, Israeli breaches of Lebanese sovereignty continued. Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on his X account that an air force aircraft struck the Mount Shaqif area, eliminating a Hezbollah operative in southern Lebanon. The operative was reportedly attempting to reconstruct a site that had previously been used by Hezbollah for fire control and defense. He said such activity at the site constituted a violation of the understanding between Israel and Lebanon and has been targeted several times in recent weeks. Adraee said that the army would continue to act to eliminate any threat to Israel. The warning came as the Lebanese Ministry of Health confirmed the death of 'a martyr in an Israeli drone strike … in Nabatieh Al-Fawqa.' Maj. Gen. Aroldo Lazaro Saenz, the head of mission and force commander of UNIFIL, said that the situation along the Blue Line is tense as a result of ongoing violations and significant risks, and any mistake could lead to serious consequences. On International Day of UN Peacekeepers, he said: 'We welcome the calm that has prevailed since November, but weapons still roar and the challenges remain significant.' Israeli forces, which still occupy five hills in the Lebanese border area, advanced on Monday night toward Mays Al-Jabal in a serious land breach and set up earthen barriers in the area. The Lebanese army contacted the five-member committee overseeing the ceasefire agreement and then the next day proceeded to remove the newly erected barrier.
