Tartous, which hosts a Russian naval base, is a stronghold of President Bashar al-Assad’s Alawite sect.
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“A suicidal terrorist exploded his vehicle bomb at Arzounah bridge at the entrance of Tartous city, then another terrorist detonated his explosive belt amid the citizens who have rushed to help the authorities rescue the wounded, claiming the lives of 30 citizens and injuring 43 others”, The Foreign Ministry said in two letters sent to the UN Secretary General and President of Security council.
State media also reported another bomb attack on a road west of the capital Damascus, but gave no immediate toll in the blast.
Another auto bomb hit a checkpoint in Homs and five people were killed in the explosion in Hassakeh, first reports said. The Observatory said it hit an army checkpoint and two officers were killed.
The IS-run Aamaq news agency says the group was behind the “simultaneous” attacks on Monday. It said a percussion bomb also went off in the province’s Qamishli city.
“IS also wants to whip up sectarian tensions for its benefit and is counting on more of these events to mobilise its supporters in these regions”, he told AFP.
A handout picture released by Syria’s official SANA news agency shows Syrians and security forces gathering at the site of a blast targeting the Arzuna Bridge outside the Syrian western port city of Tartus, September 5, 2016.
The operation – dubbed “Euphrates Shield” – pushed further into IS territory on Monday and captured another five villages, the Observatory said. The Kremlin’s intervention in Syria in September 2015 has made Russian Federation a primary target for Isis violence, as its backing of the government in Damascus essentially changed the course of the civil war.
The jihadist group has been losing ground to both an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters known as the Syrian Democratic Forces and, more recently, a Turkish offensive involving rebels loyal to Ankara.
Washington backs the uprising against Assad, but is working with his key ally Moscow on how to stem the bloodshed.
It had been hoped a deal on a ceasefire and humanitarian deliveries would be announced jointly by Mr Kerry and Mr Lavrov on Monday, but it was not forthcoming.
Meanwhile, the US President described his talks with Mr Putin in China as “productive”, but said the rival powers were challenged by “gaps of trust”.
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The leaders told their top diplomats to continue trying to reach an agreement amid “technical” issues having to do with implementation of the agreement. “However, we must ensure that it is an effective agreement”, a senior U.S. administration official said.
