LONDON: An explosion near a checkpoint of the Syrian Internal Security Forces in eastern Syria injured two people on Thursday, state media reported. The blast struck a vehicle in Jazrat Al-Buhamid in the Deir Ezzor countryside, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency. A security source told SANA that preliminary findings indicated an explosive device attached to the vehicle caused the explosion. Authorities were collecting evidence and investigating to identify and pursue those responsible, the source said. The attack followed a shooting on a bus in the Syrian Arab Republic’s central province of Homs on Wednesday that killed seven people and wounded four others, SANA reported. Authorities have not yet identified the attackers. Syria has faced mounting security challenges since the fall of longtime President Bashar Assad’s regime in late 2024. Damascus and surrounding areas have been hit by several attacks, including explosions targeting public infrastructure and security forces. Shortly before the Homs bus attack, state media reported an explosion at a gas pipeline near one of Syria’s main power plants outside Damascus. The incident came two days after the reported sabotage of another pipeline in eastern Syria.