Syria struggling to deal with attacks on security forces

Although the intensity of military confrontations has declined across most of Syria, attacks targeting security and military forces continue to occur, following a pattern of smaller, asymmetric operations. These range from bus bombings and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to individual assassinations and ambushes.

Available information indicates that a large proportion of these attacks are linked to cells affiliated with Islamic State group. Responsibility for other attacks remains unknown, amid speculation about involvement of groups linked to remnants of the Assad regime.

Since Assad’s ouster in December 2024, ISIS has called on its members to fight the new government led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa, which has joined the US-led international coalition against the organisation.

Overnight buses targeted

Incidents recorded over the past year reveal a clear focus on buses transporting security and military personnel, as they are targets that bring together large numbers of personnel at a specific time and place.

The most recent such attack occurred on Saturday, when a bus belonging to the Internal Security Forces hit an IED on a road in the Damascus countryside, injuring several security personnel.

This came two weeks after a passenger bus was bombed in Jaramana, near Damascus, killing a woman and injuring 13 people.

A similar incident occurred in northeastern Syria in May, when two soldiers were killed in an attack on a military transport bus.

The most high-profile attack came during Emmanuel Macron's visit to the country in July, when Damascus was hit by twin blasts close to the French president's hotel. The interior ministry blamed ISIS which it said had planted explosives in a vehicle and a rubbish container.

Rashid Hourani, a researcher at the Jusoor Centre for Studies, told The New Arab that the targeting of vehicles belonging to the interior and defence ministries reveals weaknesses in security procedures.  He also pointed to the sectarian nature of some of the attacks, highlighting the targeting of areas with high Alawite and Christian populations.

A security source who requested anonymity told The New Arab that most bombings and attacks have increasingly focused on overnight buses because they are relatively easy targets. They also believe that requiring personnel to surrender their weapons while on leave may also have increased their vulnerability to attack.

The source suggests providing personnel with weapons or security protection while they are traveling, avoiding the wearing of military uniforms while on leave, and changing travel routes and schedules.

He warned that some attacks may be random and primarily intended to create confusion and embarrass the government.

Assassinations, ambushes

Security forces have also come under fire from assailants in areas of eastern and northern Syria in recent months.

The latest such incidents came on Friday when a soldier and a member of the security forces were killed in separate attacks in Hama and Aleppo.

In recent months, there have also been attacks targeting personnel while they were traveling or outside their duty stations. In May, an attack on a defence ministry facility in Damascus killed one soldier and injured 23 people. Meanwhile, ISIS claimed responsibility for an attack in Hasakah that killed two soldiers.

ISIS also claimed responsibility for detonating a sticky bomb targeting the car of the head of the Justice Department in Babila, Salah Ahmad al-Saleh, seriously injuring him.

The extremist group has intensified its attacks against government forces since the beginning of the year. 29 people, including 23 military personnel, were killed in more than 30 ISIS attacks between 17 February and 19 March. The attacks were concentrated primarily in Deir ez-Zour, Raqqa, and Aleppo, with other incidents recorded in Idlib, Hasakah, and Homs.

Shifting threats

In response, the Syrian authorities have intensified their campaigns against ISIS cells. The Interior Ministry announced earlier this month that it had arrested a senior military commander the Manbij countryside. Last July, the authorities announced operations in Aleppo and Latakia that resulted in the arrest of ISIS members and the seizure of weapons.

The ministry said in June that over a three-month period it had arrested 235 people on terrorism charges and thwarted seven attacks that it said ISIS had been planning.

Military experts partly attribute this to the sensitivity of the transitional period and the presence of operational gaps resulting from the process of integrating the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and other local groups into the army and security forces.

The record of the past year reveals that armed groups have shifted towards trying to wear down government forces through low-level bombings, assassinations, and ambushes.

The most prominent vulnerabilities include the predictable routes and schedules of overnight buses, personnel being exposed while on leave, and the difficulty of controlling open terrain and remote areas.

Major Khaled Abdullah, director of the Interior Minister’s office, said in press statements that the defence and interior ministries have issued directives prohibiting the wearing of official uniforms outside working hours and strengthening security measures. He noted that security and military institutions are working on other solutions to reduce risks.