Almost 150 people have been killed in seven near-simultaneous explosions claimed by Islamic State in northwestern Syria, Monday.
The blasts targeted bus stations, hospitals and other civilian sites in two seaside cities within President Bashar al Assad’s coastal heartland.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 100 people were killed in Jableh and another 48 in Tartus, including children.
There were five suicide attacks and two car bombs.
One attacker detonated explosives in a hospital emergency room after carrying victims of an earlier attack there.
Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said they were “without a doubt the deadliest attacks” in the cities since the six-year civil war began.
Mohsen Zayyoud, a 22-year-old student in Jableh, said: “I’m shocked, this is the first time I hear sounds like this.
“I thought the war was over and that I could walk safely. But I was surprised to see that we’re still in the heart of the battle.”
There were five suicide attacks and two car bombs
The bloodshed started at 7am BST with three explosions at a bus station in Tartus, where regime ally Russia has a naval facility.
IS said the explosions were in retaliation for Syrian and Russian airstrikes against the jihadists – and vowed to carry out “more devastating and bitter attacks”.
The attacks come as a UN Syria envoy continues to attempt to restart peace talks and mend the fractured ceasefire.
The Kremlin condemned the blasts, saying they “demonstrate yet again how fragile the situation is in Syria and the need to take energetic measures to relaunch peace talks”.
Human Rights Watch said the bombings “would appear to constitute war crimes” as they targeted civilians.
More than 270,000 people have died in the civil war, while millions have been displaced.
IS emerged in 2014, seizing control of large parts of Syria and Iraq and declaring an Islamic caliphate. Sky.com
