Islamic State announces "new phase" of operations in Syria

On Saturday, Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for two attacks on Syrian army personnel in the north and east of the country and announced the start of a "new phase of operations" against the state leadership.

According to the Dabiq agency, militants in the city of Mayadin in the province of Deir ez-Zor shot and killed a "member of the apostate Syrian regime" with a pistol and attacked two other members of the security forces with machine guns in the northern city of Raqqa.

The attacks come amid a significant escalation by IS against the leadership of President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former member of al-Qaeda who split from it in 2016 and led the coalition that overthrew Bashar al-Assad at the end of 2024.

IS spokesman Abu Hudhayfa al-Ansari said that Syria had gone "from Iranian occupation to Turkish-American occupation" and called al-Sharaa the "watchdog" of the international coalition.

IS claims to have carried out six attacks since Assad's fall. According to a UN report, Sharaa and two ministers faced five foiled assassination attempts.

(reuters, est)