On March 24, a booby-trapped car exploded near the central hospital in the center of the city of Idlib, the Syrian pro-opposition news outlet Enab Baladi reported. The media outlet said that at least 15 civilians had been killed and several others had been injured in the explosion.
Syrian opposition activists believe that ISIS cells might be behind the car bomb attack as they have carried out several similar attacks previously. However, the ISIS-linked news agency Amaq has not confirmed these claims yet.
Meanwhile, local observers suggested that the Syrian Liberation Front (SLF) could be responsible for the attack. The city of Idlib is under the control of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – the SLF’s rival. On February 26, HTS captured an assassination cell of the SLF, its members admitted carrying out such attacks.
The security situation in Idlib governorate has deteriorated to a dangerous level over the past month due to the ongoing clashes between HTS and the SLF. The governorate will likely witness more similar bombings and other forms of violence that will impact civilians in the near future.
