A bomb exploded Thursday on a Syrian Defense Ministry bus in the country’s east, killing four soldiers and wounding several others, officials said.
Oil Minister Mohammed al-Bashir confirmed on X that the victims were en route to their jobs as guards at an oil facility when the blast occurred.
State-run Al-Ikhbariah TV reported the explosion took place on the road between Deir el-Zour and Mayadeen, in Syria’s oil-rich eastern region near the Iraqi border. The area has long been a hub of unrest and militant activity.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in Britain, provided a slightly different toll, saying three soldiers were killed and nine wounded.
No group has yet claimed responsibility, but Islamic State sleeper cells are active in the region. The group, though militarily defeated in 2019, continues to stage sporadic attacks against Syrian government forces and allied militias.
IS, which once ruled large parts of Syria and Iraq, remains opposed to the Damascus government led by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaida commander who fought fierce battles against the extremist group.