Over 150 Killed in ISIS Attacks in Southern Syria

Following several suicide bombings and armed attacks for which the group known as the 'Islamic Caliphate' or ISIS has claimed responsibility, more than 150 people were killed in southern Syria on Wednesday. This is one of the deadliest attacks by this jihadist group on Syrian soil. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which collects and publishes war news from the country, reported that these attacks occurred in the Suwayda province in southern Syria, most of which is under the control of government forces. These attacks occurred just a week after government forces, supported by Russia, launched a heavy offensive operation to drive ISIS fighters out of areas adjacent to Suwayda. The group claimed responsibility for the attacks, stating that 'Caliphate soldiers' attacked the positions of government forces in Suwayda and detonated their explosive vests. The Syrian Observatory reported that three simultaneous suicide bombings occurred in the city of Suwayda, along with two other explosions in two nearby villages, followed by a fourth suicide bombing in the city shortly thereafter. According to this organization, after the explosions, ISIS fighters attacked villages in the northern Suwayda area, killing residents in their homes. As a result of the suicide bombings and armed attacks, a total of 156 people were killed, including 62 civilians. Among the victims, 94 were armed militia loyal to the Syrian government who had armed themselves to defend their villages. The residents of the Suwayda area, most of whom belong to the Druze minority, have largely been spared from the consequences of the seven-year civil war in Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights stated that this is the bloodiest attack in the Suwayda area since the beginning of the civil war and one of the bloodiest attacks in all of Syria. In these attacks, 30 ISIS fighters, including the suicide bombers, were killed. According to the Observatory, the fighters managed to seize at least three of the villages targeted in their attack, but clashes continued throughout Wednesday. Syrian state media confirmed that several people were killed in the city of Suwayda and its surrounding villages due to these attacks but did not provide an exact number of casualties. The United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Syria condemned the 'terrorist bombings in the city of Suwayda' and emphasized that the lives and security of civilians must be protected. The Syrian Foreign Ministry also stated that this attack by ISIS underscores the necessity for coordinated and active international actions to eradicate this international menace from Syrian soil. Syrian state television reported that government forces attacked the positions of the fighters in the eastern Suwayda area. Although last year ISIS fighters were driven out of the cities in eastern Syria, in recent months, dozens of government forces and pro-government militia members have been killed in surprise attacks by this group. The group still controls limited areas in southern Syria, including in Suwayda and the Daraa region to its west. The area in Daraa is controlled by a jihadist group called Khalid ibn al-Walid, whose approximately 1,000 fighters have pledged allegiance to ISIS. After driving most non-jihadist groups out of southern Syria, government forces, with Russian support, are now focusing on the ISIS-controlled area in Daraa. The state news agency reported that the group's attacks on Suwayda were aimed at relieving pressure on the remaining fighters who are facing their inevitable fate in the rural areas of Daraa.