ISIS declares ‘new phase’ as it targets Syrian forces
Syrian authorities say a soldier and a civilian were killed in separate shootings claimed by ISIS in the north and east of the country
The jihadist group Islamic State (ISIS) announced on Saturday that it has entered what it described as a “new phase” of operations in Syria, claiming responsibility for multiple attacks targeting Syrian army personnel in the north and east of the country.
In a statement published by its propaganda outlet, Dabiq, ISIS said its fighters shot and killed “a member of the apostate Syrian regime” in the eastern city of Mayadin, located in Deir Ezzor, using a pistol.
The group also claimed that its operatives opened fire with a machine gun on two Syrian soldiers in the northern city of Raqqa.
The Syrian Ministry of Defense confirmed that a Syrian army soldier and a civilian were killed on Saturday by what it described as “unknown assailants.” A military source cited by Reuters said the soldier was a member of the army’s 42nd Division. The ministry did not explicitly attribute the attack to ISIS.
The claimed attacks come amid a rise in violence targeting the Syrian authorities under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who came to power after leading a coalition of Islamist factions that ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad at the end of 2024. Al-Sharaa is a former Al-Qaeda operative who broke with the organization in 2016.
Two days earlier, ISIS had also claimed responsibility for another attack in Deir Ezzor province, in which a member of the Interior Ministry’s security forces was killed and another officer wounded.
Although ISIS lost its territorial “caliphate” in Syria and Iraq several years ago, the group continues to carry out sporadic attacks across parts of Syria.
In its latest statement, ISIS claimed that Syria has transitioned from what it called “Iranian occupation” to “Turkish-American occupation,” framing the shift as justification for renewed armed operations against the Syrian state.