ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Three people were killed and several others injured in a blast caused by an explosive-rigged vehicle in the Deir ez-Zor countryside of eastern Syria on Sunday, according to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). In a statement on X, SANA quoted a "security source" stating that "three martyrs have fallen and several others were injured in the initial toll of the explosion that targeted a police station in the city of Mayadeen," located 45 kilometers southeast of Deir ez-Zor. The agency later confirmed that the three fatalities were police officers. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) shared footage of the deadly blast, adding that the explosion occurred outside a prison in Mayadeen. Importantly, the deadly incident occurred just hours after the Syrian Ministry of Interior announced that the Syrian General Security and General Intelligence directorates had launched a “joint security operation” targeting a “hideout of an Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist cell” in the eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo, northern Syria. The ministry reported that one Damascus-affiliated security officer was killed during the operation, along with three members of the terrorist cell. Four additional cell members were arrested for their involvement in "carrying out terrorist activities, including direct attacks on General Security personnel." The Syrian interior ministry further noted that “weapons, explosive materials, and suicide vests” were seized from the suspects, reinforcing its “commitment to combating criminal cells” and emphasizing that it would "not hesitate to protect the security and stability of the country and confront anyone who attempts to disrupt it." In a separate development, Syria's Defense Minister, Murhaf Abu Qasra, confirmed on Saturday that all armed units had been integrated into his ministry to unify the country’s armed forces. He issued a ten-day ultimatum to "remaining small military groups" to complete the unification and organizational efforts, warning that any delay in compliance would be dealt with under the law. Abu Qasra further explained that the push to consolidate all armed units under a single institutional structure began shortly after the fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in early December, when a coalition of opposition groups, led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), overthrew Assad. On Saturday as well, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) reported capturing suspected members of an ISIS cell in Syria’s eastern Deir ez-Zor province. "Based on precise intelligence, our forces raided the location where members of the terrorist cell were hiding in the town of al-Busayrah and successfully captured them," read a statement from the SDF. The operation was carried out with the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ). “The captured terrorists were planning to carry out attacks targeting our military and security forces, as well as civilians and public institutions in the area,” the SDF statement added. ISIS, which was territorially defeated in 2019, has recently attempted to regain ground, taking advantage of the prevalent instability in Syria following the fall of the Assad regime. On Friday, the SDF announced that they had captured 10 ISIS suspects in Deir ez-Zor after one of their fighters was killed and three others injured in an ISIS attack. According to the UK-based war monitor, SOHR, there have been 84 operations carried out by ISIS cells in northeast Syria (Rojava) since the beginning of 2025, including armed attacks, targeted killings, and bombings. Updated at 10:17 pm.
