A suicide car-bomb killed at least nine people in Syria’s Golan Heights last night, only hours after government forces announced they had expelled the last Islamic State jihadists from the eastern city of Deir Ezzor.
State news agency SANA said the bomb hit the outskirts of the village of Hader, which lies near the disengagement line that divides the Syrian-controlled part of the Golan from that occupied by Israel.
“A suicide bomber from Al-Nusra Front detonated a car-bomb in the midst of the homes of citizens on the outskirts of Hader, killing nine people and injuring at least 23,” the agency said.
Al-Nusra Front is the old name for a jihadist group that was formerly al-Qa’ida’s affiliate in Syria and is now known as the Fateh al-Sham Front.
SANA said the toll was expected to rise because several of the injured were in serious condition and the ongoing assault on the town made it difficult to remove the wounded to safety.
The Israeli army issued a rare statement in support, pledging not to allow the village to be taken by attacking rebel forces.
Read the full article by AFP at The Australian (subscriber only).