An explosion targeting a government-operated bus in eastern Syria has resulted in the deaths of at least four individuals and left nine others wounded, according to the Syrian state news outlet SANA.
The bomb detonated while the bus, which is owned by the Syrian Ministry of Energy, was traveling along the highway linking Deir Az Zor and al-Mayadin, SANA reported via a post on X on Thursday.
All four fatalities were security personnel assigned to an oil facility in Deir Az Zor, a key city in Syria’s oil-producing region and the country’s seventh-largest urban center. This area was previously the scene of intense clashes with ISIL (ISIS) during the protracted civil war.
Among the injured were both workers from the oil facility and civilians, though further specifics have not been disclosed by SANA.
Al Jazeera verified footage from the explosion site shows security forces examining the bus, which sustained significant damage from the blast, parked on the roadside.
Reuters reported that the security team was part of a military unit responsible for guarding the Teim oilfield. They were reportedly returning home after completing their shift when the explosion occurred.
This attack marks the deadliest explosion in Syria’s eastern province since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad last December. The region is also notable for producing the majority of Syria’s wheat.
No organization has yet stepped forward to claim responsibility for the bombing.
Earlier incidents in the area include a May blast that killed at least three people at a police station in al-Mayadin, following a security operation in Aleppo where authorities reported killing three ISIL militants and detaining four others.
In June, a suicide bombing at a Damascus church resulted in 25 fatalities. Although Syrian officials blamed ISIL, the group did not claim the attack.
Throughout the Syrian civil war, which began in 2011, ISIL has frequently targeted buses carrying government forces in similar attacks.
Since the interim government led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa assumed control after a swift rebel offensive, assaults on government-held territories have become infrequent.
The location of the recent deadly blast is close to areas controlled by the Kurdish-led, US-supported Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) east of the Euphrates River. Tensions and clashes between government troops and the SDF have escalated in recent weeks.
This region, bordering Iraq, is divided by the Euphrates between government-controlled zones and those held by the SDF, which manages Syria’s oil fields east of the river.
In August, Syria’s Ministry of Defence accused the SDF of launching a rocket attack on a military base in northern Syria, injuring four soldiers and three civilians.
Challenges Within and Beyond for al-Sharaa
President Ahmed al-Sharaa has been diligently working to reunify the fractured nation, making significant progress in breaking Syria’s international isolation. His recent attendance at the United Nations General Assembly-the first Syrian leader to do so in six decades-highlighted his call for the removal of all sanctions imposed on Syria.
Damascus has also seen a surge in economic investments from Gulf Arab countries, providing a vital boost to the struggling economy.
However, deadly sectarian violence erupted in July in the southern province of Suwayda, shaking the nascent government. The unrest involved clashes between Bedouin tribes and Druze militias, prompting the deployment of government forces to restore order.
Complicating matters further are external security threats. Israel launched attacks on Syrian positions during the Suwayda clashes, citing the protection of the Druze community as justification. Despite ongoing security dialogues, Israel has conducted numerous bombings and incursions into Syrian territory both before and after these events.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s vision of a “Greater Israel,” widely condemned by Arab and Muslim nations, includes territorial ambitions that encompass parts of Syria.
On Friday, SANA reported that Israeli forces carried out incursions and raids in Eastern al-Samadaniyah and Ofaniya within the Quneitra countryside.
The operation involved eight military vehicles, a heavy bulldozer, and two tanks advancing from near Tal Krum Jaba toward Eastern al-Samadaniyah before retreating hours later to the devastated city of Quneitra in the occupied Golan Heights.
