A string of explosions claimed by Islamic State, killed at least 48 people and wounded dozens more in Syria Monday, a day after the militant group lost the last stretch of the Syria-Turkey border under its control.
The blasts hit the government controlled cities of Homs and Tartus, the Kurdish-held city of Hasakeh, and the countryside of Damascus.
"Clearly these attacks were simultaneous and they all targeted security posts," said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which maintains a network of contacts inside the country.
The deadliest blasts were in Tartus, where state television reported two terrorist bombings on Arzuna bridge, killing at least 35 people and wounding 43. The report said the first blast was caused by a car bomb and the second was carried out by a suicide bomber who detonated his explosives when people gathered to help the wounded.
The conflict in Syria, which is complicated by U.S. and Russian support for opposite sides has left more than 290,000 people dead and forced millions from their homes since March 2011.