In his first audio address in two years on February 21, IS spokesman Abu Hudhayfa al-Ansari stated that the group’s members in Syria must fight “the new Syrian regime, its government, and the national army” and make this “their priority,” News.Az reports, citing Agence France-Presse.
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The day before, IS claimed responsibility for two deadly attacks in northern and eastern Syria, which killed a Syrian Defense Ministry employee and a civilian. In response to the militants’ increased activity, the army of the transitional government of Syria announced the start of a new phase of offensive operations aimed at eliminating IS strongholds in the desert regions and in the east of the country, Reuters reported.
According to the ISIS-affiliated Amaq news agency, the latest attacks targeted security force patrols in Deir ez-Zor province and the As-Suwayda desert. Several officers of the new national army were reportedly killed in bombings and ambushes.
The attacks occurred as US-led coalition forces withdrew from bases including al-Tanf, al-Shaddadi, and Kasraq, though they remain stationed at the Harab al-Jir base in the Rmeilan region of northeastern Syria.
Analysts note that ISIS is attempting to destabilize the government of Ahmed al-Sharaa, exploiting the transformation of the armed forces and the withdrawal of some foreign contingents from the country.
“We are entering the final phase of cleansing our territories. The new regime will not allow terrorists to exploit the transition period to rebuild their forces,” a Syrian Defense Ministry spokesman said during a briefing in Damascus.
The Syrian army, which recently joined the global coalition against ISIS, is deploying additional units in the Raqqa and Hasakah areas. The new phase of operations includes not only direct combat but also strengthening control over prisons holding thousands of militants previously guarded by Kurdish forces. Coordinating efforts with international partners, including air support, aims to cut ISIS militants’ logistical routes between Syria and Iraq, where a significant number of detainees have recently been transferred.
Earlier, the Financial Times, citing sources, reported that more than 20,000 prisoners from the Al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria, where ISIS militants and their families were held, escaped after the region came under Syrian government control. According to the FT, it is still unclear who facilitated the escape. Possible theories include both Syrian government officials and local tribes collaborating with ISIS.
