ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Eleven Syrian soldiers were killed in an explosion at a military position in the eastern province of Deir ez-Zor, state media reported on Saturday, in the second deadly blast at a Syrian military facility in less than two weeks.
The explosion occurred on Friday at a Syrian army position in the Ayyash area, west of Deir ez-Zor city, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), citing the defense ministry. Authorities initially said they were investigating the cause of the blast and assessing the damage.
SANA reported on Saturday that 11 defense ministry personnel had been killed in the explosion, citing a statement from the defense ministry.
“The funeral procession was held at the National Hospital in Deir ez-Zor city, attended by officers, relatives of those killed and their fellow service members,” SANA reported.
The defense ministry has not disclosed what caused the explosion.
The blast comes just 10 days after an explosion at a temporary weapons and war-remnants storage facility near Sarmada in the northwestern province of Idlib killed 14 defense ministry personnel and wounded more than 10 others, including civilians.
Authorities said the Sarmada facility was being used to temporarily store weapons and remnants of war. The cause of that explosion also remains under investigation.
Syria remains littered with weapons, ammunition and unexploded ordnance after 15 years of conflict, posing an enduring threat to civilians and security personnel even after the December 2024 fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.
