A series of rare explosions including suicide bombings rocked coastal government strongholds in Syria Monday, killing at least 78 people and wounding dozens more, state media and opposition activists said.
(FOX)- The Islamic State group (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attacks.
The deadly blasts in the normally quiet pro-government cities of Tartus and Jableh were the first to target civilians in those areas in the course of Syria’s civil war, now in its sixth year. They marked an escalation in the conflict as the U.N. Syria envoy struggles to restart peace talks.
The TV reports said at least one suicide bomber followed by a car-laden with explosives tore through a packed bus station in Tartus, minutes apart. More than 20 were killed and many injured in the bombings, an Interior Ministry official told the channel.
Separately, Syria’s SANA news agency reported that four explosions rocked Jableh, south of Latakia city. The attacks included three rockets, and a suicide bomber at a city hospital, the state media said.
Russia keeps a naval base in Tartus and an air base in Latakia province. Insurgents maintain a presence in rural Latakia.