Islamic State claims two attacks on Syrian army, announces ‘new phase’ of operations
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Syrian military personnel in a vehicle at the crossing connecting the two banks of the Euphrates River in Deir al-Zor, Syria, on Jan 18, 2026.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Islamic State claimed responsibility on Feb 21 for two attacks targeting Syrian army personnel in northern and eastern Syria, as the militant group signalled what it described as a new phase of operations against the country’s leadership
The militant group said on its Dabiq news agency that it had targeted “an individual of the apostate Syrian regime” in the city of Mayadin in Deir al-Zor province using a pistol, and attacked two other personnel with machine guns in the northern city of Raqqa.
Syria’s Defence Ministry said in a statement that a Syrian army soldier and a civilian were killed on Feb 21 by “unknown assailants.” A military source told Reuters the soldier belonged to the army’s 42nd Division.
The attacks come amid a sharp escalation by ISIS against Syria’s leadership under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former al Qaeda leader who broke with the group in 2016 before leading a coalition of Islamist factions that overthrew President Bashar al-Assad at the end of 2024.
On the evening of Feb 21, ISIS released a recorded statement by its spokesperson, Abu Hudhayfa al-Ansari, who said Syria had “moved from Iranian occupation to Turkish-American occupation.”
The group said it had begun a “new phase of operations” in Syria, describing Mr Sharaa as a “watchdog” of the global coalition and vowing that his fate would be no different from that of Mr Assad.
Mr Sharaa signed Syria’s accession to the global coalition
The latest incidents come two days after IS claimed responsibility for another attack in Deir al-Zor that killed a member of the Interior Ministry’s internal security forces and wounded another.
Several social media accounts and Telegram channels supporting ISIS have in recent hours called for intensified attacks using motorcycles and firearms.
ISIS has carried out six attacks against Syrian government targets since the fall of Assad.
A report by the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism released last week said Mr Sharaa and two senior Cabinet ministers had been targeted in five foiled assassination attempts by ISIS. REUTERS
