Overview

• An explosive device struck a Defense Ministry bus near Salo on the Deir al-Zour–Mayadeen road as personnel traveled home from securing the Teim oilfield.
• Casualty reports varied, with state outlets citing four dead, the Syrian Observatory reporting three dead and nine wounded, and AFP sources saying five dead and 13 wounded.
• State media and local security sources said the targeted personnel were part of an army contingent tasked with guarding the Teim oilfield west of Deir al-Zour.
• No group claimed responsibility, though officials and monitors noted Islamic State sleeper-cell activity in the area since the group’s territorial defeat in 2019.
• The attack occurred in eastern Syria’s oil-producing region near areas held by the U.S.-backed SDF, where recent skirmishes with government forces have escalated tensions.