ISIS has claimed its first attack on Syria’s new government forces since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, signaling a strategic escalation by the armed group in southern Syria’s Sweida province.

The attack, carried out on May 22 in the al-Safa desert region, reportedly killed or wounded seven Syrian soldiers. ISIL stated that an explosive device struck what it called a “vehicle of the apostate regime.” The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed it was the group’s first strike on the new government military since Assad’s fall in December.

Shift in ISIS Targeting Strategy

While ISIS had primarily focused recent attacks on YPG/PKK-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the northeast, this latest bombing reflects a renewed interest in targeting Damascus-backed forces. A second ISIS-claimed attack earlier this week hit U.S.-backed Free Syrian Army fighters nearby, killing one and wounding three.

The escalation highlights ISIS's opposition to the new Syrian leadership, which includes former al-Qaeda-linked figures who severed ties with the group nearly a decade ago.

Sleeper Cells Reemerge

Though territorially defeated in 2019, ISIS has retained a network of sleeper cells, particularly in Syria’s central and eastern deserts. Analysts say the group may now be attempting to reassert itself amid shifting alliances and a fragile post-Assad security environment.

No comment has yet been issued by Syria’s transitional government or the Free Syrian Army.