Syria ambush that killed at least 53 people blamed on ISIS

An ambush attack that killed at least 53 people in Syria was blamed Saturday on ISIS, making it the deadliest attack by the terrorist group in over a year, according to multiple reports.

State media reported the victims were gathering desert truffles Friday when they were attacked in Homs province, which is controlled by the Syrian government and its allies. The victims’ bodies were taken to the Palmyra state hospital, and they had gunshot wounds to the head, state news agency SANA reported.

The attack left 46 civilians and seven soldiers dead, hospital director Walid Audi said. One of the survivors told SANA that ISIS fighters also burned their cars.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attack,according to Al Jazeera news network.

If confirmed that ISIS was responsible, the attack would mark the deadliest action by the group since January 2022 when its fighters stormed a prison in the Kurdish-controlled northeastern city of Hassakeh in a bid to free fellow members.

The news comes after US commandos killed a senior ISIS figure identified as Hamza-al Homsi in a helicopter raid in Syria Thursday night. Four American troops and a military working dog were wounded in the action.

The attacks Friday occurred more than 200 miles away the site of a tragic earthquake Feb. 6 that leveled cities and killed more 45,000 people in Turkey and Syria.

Source: nypost