Multiple bomb blasts in Syrian cities kill at least 48
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for one of the blasts, against a Kurdish security post in Hasakeh, but there were no immediate claims for the other attacks in Tartus, Homs and Damascus
At least 48 people were killed in a string of bombings inside government territory in Syria, state media reported Monday.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, which maintains a network of contacts inside the country, put the toll at 47 dead. Conflicting casualty figures are common in the Syria war.
The SANA news agency reported blasts in the coastal city of Tartus, the central city of Homs, the suburbs of the capital Damascus, and the northeastern city of Hasakeh.
Attackers detonated two bombs at the entrance of the government stronghold of Tartus along the international coastal highway, SANA said, killing 30. A car bomb at the Arzoneh bridge was followed by a suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt who targeted the gathering crowd. The city, a stronghold of support for President Bashar Assad, is home to a major Russian naval base.
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for one of the blasts, against a Kurdish security post in Hasakeh, but there were no immediate claims for the other attacks in Tartus, on government-held Homs city and at an army checkpoint on a road outside Damascus.
