Summary of incident
Islamic State said it carried out an attack on Wednesday in Raghib town in Deir Ezzor province that resulted in the death of one Syrian government security officer and injuries to another. The group claimed responsibility through its Amaq news channel. A Syrian security source confirmed that the two officers targeted in the incident were brothers.
Context and recent pattern of attacks
This assault is the fourth attack publicly claimed by Islamic State directed at Syrian government forces. It follows an earlier assault in the Sweida desert in May and two separate attacks on security patrols in Aleppo and Idlib in December. Observers and reporting indicate the incident is part of a wider rise in IS operations across Syria.
Last December, for example, Islamic State used an explosive device at a mosque in the central city of Homs, killing eight people and wounding 18. Such incidents are being reported alongside changing control of territory and the detention infrastructure in the northeast.
Prisoner transfers and territorial changes
On February 13, the U.S. military said it completed a mission moving 5,700 Islamic State fighters from prisons in Syria to facilities in Iraq. That operation followed government advances that seized areas of the northeast from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, including multiple jails holding IS detainees.
Targets within Syrian leadership
Islamic State has repeatedly labelled Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa - described in reporting as having formerly led al-Qaeda and who removed Bashar al-Assad from power in late 2024 - as a principal enemy and an "apostate" in its publications and monthly bulletins. Under President Sharaa, Syria joined last December the global coalition aimed at defeating Islamic State, a step the group condemned.
Earlier reporting indicated Syrian authorities foiled two assassination attempts against President Sharaa by Islamic State during 2025. A recent UN Office of Counter-Terrorism report also stated that Sharaa and two senior cabinet ministers were targeted in five foiled assassination attempts by the group.
Outlook
The attack in Raghib, the continuing claims of responsibility by Islamic State, the recent transfers of detained fighters, and the reported assassination plots against senior Syrian officials together point to continued security volatility in Syria. The sequence of incidents underscores an environment of elevated operational activity by IS within the country.