ISIS Suicide Bomber Kills 1 Near Aleppo Church on New Year's Eve

• A suspected Islamic State suicide bomber killed one person and injured two near a church in Aleppo, Syria, during New Year's Eve celebrations.
• Syrian interior ministry spokesperson Nour al-Din al-Baba stated the bomber, likely linked to ISIS, was intercepted at a checkpoint while attempting to infiltrate a Christian area, possibly targeting the Church of the Forty Martyrs.
• The attack underscores President Ahmed al-Sharaa's weak control and the targeting of non-Sunni minorities by extremist groups.
• Recent weeks saw other major jihadist attacks, including a mosque blast in Homs by Ansar al-Sunna and an ISIS-attributed attack in Palmyra killing three Americans.
• The United States and Jordan have conducted retaliatory airstrikes against ISIS targets and trafficking networks in Syria.

Why It Matters: ISIS-linked suicide bombing in Aleppo highlights escalating jihadist violence and regional instability in Syria.