Multiple Blasts in Syria Kill More than 100

Islamic State claimed responsibility for attacks that killed more than 100 people in two Syrian government strongholds, Tartus and Jableh. It is the first time that these pro-government areas have been attacked, and some said it marked an escalation in the conflict just as the UN is trying to convene peace talks. Syrian television reports said that several explosions including suicide bombers and car bombs ripped through the two locations simultaneously. In Jableh, south of Latakia, a female suicide bomber blew herself up. Analysts said the coordinated explosions show that Islamic State still has the power to inflict heavy damage on Syria despite reports that government troops, backed by Hizbullah and Russia, have retaken some of the areas that had been conquered by Islamic State.