DAMASCUS, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Four members of Syria's Internal Security Forces were killed, and a fifth was wounded Sunday evening when gunmen opened fire on their patrol in the city of Maarat al-Numan in Syria's northwestern Idlib province, according to official media and a war monitor.
The state-run SANA news agency said in a brief report that the shooting targeted Internal Security Forces in Maarat al-Numan, leaving four dead and one wounded, without providing further details.
In a separate statement posted on its Telegram channel, Syria's interior authorities said the victims were members of the Road Security Administration who were carrying out their duties on a road in southern Idlib. The authorities said specialized security units had launched intensive operations in the area to track down those involved in the attack.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, reported that the patrol was ambushed near the southern bridge area of Maarat al-Numan, resulting in four deaths and additional injuries.
The shooting comes amid heightened security concerns in Syria following a deadly incident a day earlier near the city of Palmyra in Homs province, where a gunman opened fire during a joint Syrian-U.S. patrol, killing at least three Americans -- two soldiers and one interpreter -- and prompting expanded security operations against suspected Islamic State cells in central Syria. ■
This photo taken on Dec. 14, 2025 shows a street in the city of Palmyra, Homs province, Syria.
Two Syrian security personnel, two U.S. service members, and one U.S. civilian were killed Saturday in an attack on a joint Syrian-U.S. patrol near the ancient city of Palmyra, Syrian authorities and the U.S. Central Command reported. (Str/Xinhua)
U.S. military vehicles are seen during a joint patrol with Syrian security forces in the city of Palmyra, Homs province, Syria, Dec. 13, 2025.
Two Syrian security personnel, two U.S. service members, and one U.S. civilian were killed Saturday in an attack on a joint Syrian-U.S. patrol near the ancient city of Palmyra, Syrian authorities and the U.S. Central Command reported. (Str/Xinhua)
