The Media Line: IS Attacks Escalate in Syria; Palmyra and Maaret al-Numan Targeted  

IS Attacks Escalate in Syria; Palmyra and Maaret al-Numan Targeted  

By Rizik Alabi/The Media Line  

Various regions across Syria have seen an increase in Islamic State activity over the past two days, marked by a series of attacks targeting Syrian fighters in the countryside of Maaret al-Numan, south of Idlib, as well as other areas. IS members opened fire, resulting in casualties, according to field sources.  

A Syrian security source told The Media Line, “The recent attacks confirm that the organization continues to rely on mobile cells seeking to disrupt the security landscape through rapid operations with limited military impact.”  

IS claimed responsibility for an attack targeting a joint Syrian-American field tour near a security facility in the Palmyra desert. One of the assailants opened fire before being neutralized following a direct clash.  

In response, joint Syrian-American forces carried out a full-scale sweep in Palmyra and surrounding areas to pursue active cells and prevent any further attacks.  

Syrian Interior Ministry spokesperson Nour al-Din al-Baba said in an official statement: “There were prior security warnings regarding suspicious movements by IS elements in the desert, and we are currently working to complete investigations to identify all those involved in this attack.”  

The Syrian government affirmed that the Palmyra attack “will not pass without accountability,” stressing its commitment to pursue the organization and its sleeper cells, and to enhance counterterrorism efforts in cooperation with international partners.  

A senior Interior Ministry official added: “Security agencies continue to take all necessary measures to protect military and security facilities, and we will not allow any party to threaten stability or target forces operating on the ground.”  

Military experts believe that the escalation of IS within a short time frame indicates an attempt to reassert its presence, particularly in Syria’s desert regions, which provide a suitable environment for its movements.  

Syrian military expert Adham Mahmoud told The Media Line: “The organization has come to rely on individual attacks and ambushes instead of large-scale operations, in an attempt to compensate for its human and logistical losses and to send a message that it is still capable of striking.”  

These developments come amid a decline in IS’ centralized capabilities and its increasing reliance on small cells with operational autonomy, making the threat more complex.  

The attacks also coincide with regional shifts and mounting field pressures, which encourage the group to exploit any security vacuum or military distraction to reorganize its ranks and regain influence in Syria.