Deadliest Assault in Raqqa: IS Militants Escalate Attacks on Syrian Forces

Four Syrian government security personnel were killed by Islamic State militants in northern Syria on Monday, marking the deadliest attack on government forces since the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, according to the Syrian state news agency.

The assault on a checkpoint west of Raqqa represents an escalation in violence by the jihadist group against the government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa. This comes just two days after IS declared a 'new phase of operations.' IS has not immediately claimed responsibility for this specific attack, though it announced on Saturday involvement in two other strikes against Syrian army personnel.

The Syrian state news agency reported that forces managed to foil Monday's attack and kill one of the militants, yet no group has taken responsibility. Meanwhile, U.S. forces commenced a withdrawal from their largest military base in the northeast, reflecting a broader strategic pullback of troops originally deployed to combat IS a decade ago.