Islamic State suicide attack kills 4 in Syria's southern Daraa province

Four people were killed Friday evening in southern Syria when an Islamic State group militant blew himself up targeting members of the opposition Free Syrian Army.

The suicide attack, which left more people wounded, targeted the home of Ghassan Akram Abazid in the city of Daraa, a media activist told The New Arab’s sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

While Ghassan and others were only left injured, three people from the Abazid family as well as another man, Yassin Falouji were killed, activist Abu Yazan al-Kharbi told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

IS immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Ghassan Abazid’s home had previously been targeted in another explosion on October 12 in Daraa al-Balad which resulted in no casualties.

Analysis: Eight years since its rise to power, IS is a shadow of its former self.

But ongoing conflict and instability in its former heartland are threatening to create conditions for the extremist group to make a resurgence

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Opposition forces in Daraa accuse regime intelligence of facilitating the return of IS to the province.

Daraa province was one of the main strongholds of the Syrian opposition after the 2011 uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's regime broke out in 2011.

However, it reverted to regime control following a Russian-supported regime offensive in 2018. Many Free Syrian Army rebels agreed to a Russian-sponsored "reconciliation agreement", while those who refused to sign were forcibly evacuated to Idlib province, the last area of Syria currently held by anti-Assad rebels. 

Since reverting to Syrian regime control, Daraa has remained unstable with frequent violent incidents and kidnappings. The Syrian regime launched an armed offensive in the area in 2021 after local people refused to participate in presidential elections widely condemned as a "sham" by the international community.