PHOTO: The scene of the Tuesday bombing in Suruc, in southeastern Turkey near the Syrian border (Getty)

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The Islamic State is suspected of a suicide bombing outside a cultural centre on Monday in the Turkish town of Suruc, near the border with Syria. At least 28 people have been killed and more than 100 wounded.

A mostly Kurdish town in southeastern Turkey, Suruc is about 10 km (6 miles) from the Syrian Kurdish center of Kobane, where an Islamic State offensive was repelled after four months in January.

About 300 people from the Federation of Socialist Youths, preparing to travel to Kobane to help with reconstruction, were staying at the cultural center.

A “senior official in Ankara” said, “Our initial evidence shows that this was a suicide attack by Islamic State.”

Another official also said the Islamic State was probably responsible in a “retaliation for the Turkish government’s efforts to fight terrorism”.

Video of the aftermath:

The Islamic State has been on the defensive throughout the northern Syria area near the Turkish border this year. Kurdish forces, supported by Free Syrian Army units and US airstrikes, have closed a 90-km (56-mile gap) to link their Kobane and Cezire cantons. They then advanced south towards the Islamic State’s main Syrian center of Raqqa.

However, the militants have hit back with suicide bombs and deadly attacks. Last month, a three-sided assault on Kobane killed more than 200 people in Kobane before Islamic State fighters were pushed back from the city.

Turkey has recently deployed additional troops and equipment along parts of its border with Syria. Ankara has also detained hundreds of men suspected of affiliation with the Islamic State.

Turkish authorities said on Sunday that they had arrested almost 500 people in the past 24 hours who had tried to “infiltrate” from Syria, while 26 had been detained trying to move from Turkey into Syria.

Fighting Escalates in Latakia Province, With Both Sides Claiming Victories

Fighting between rebels and Syrian forces has escalated in Latakia Province in western Syria, with the possibility of an opposition offensive looming.

Both sides have claimed victories in the clashes that began last week. Pro-regime outlets say the Syrian Army took hills and village near the rebel-held towns of Ramleh and Salma.

Rebels say they have taken three strategic hilltops southeast of Salma (see map).

Fighting is also reported further north, near the town of Kassab close to the Turkish border.

Sources say the Syrian military tried to pre-empt a rebel offensive with their attacks last week. Rebels have periodically tried to advance in Latakia, seen as a base of support for the Assad regime, notably with offensives in summer 2013 and early 2014.

100s of Shells and Rockets on Regime Enclaves North of Idlib — Rebel Ground Offensive May Follow

Rebels report that they have fired more than 500 shells and rockets on Kafarya, one of two regime enclaves north of Idlib city, as the possibility of a ground offensive increases.

Last week, the Jaish al-Fateh coalition said that attacks would be stepped up on Kafarya and al-Fu’ah, in retaliation for a Hezbollah-regime offensive against Zabadani in Damascus Province.

However, local sources say that there is fighting on the ground near the enclaves this morning, and they believe Jaish al-Fateh may have decided to move on the fortified villages. The Liwa ul-Haq faction has sent a message on Twitter of a “second phase” in operations.

Kafarya and al-Fu’ah have long been isolated in Idlib Province, and rebels tightened their grip as they took almost all of the province this spring.

Video report from an Ahrar al-Sham commander:

More Bombardment of Zabadani in Hezbollah-Regime Offensive

Pro-opposition activists report more bombardment of Zabadani, northwest of Damascus, as the Hezbollah-regime offensive nears its fourth week.

The activists say the airstrikes included eight barrel bombs, with rockets falling on the al-Mahatta area and the outskirts of the town. They claim an attempt by Hezbollah and Syria troops to advance on the ground was thwarted.

Zabadani, about 31 km (19 miles) northwest of Damascus, has been besieged since Hezbollah and Syrian forces advanced from the Qalamoun region this spring. The town was the first taken by the Free Syrian Army, captured in January 2012.

See Syria Daily, July 18: Rebels Still Holding Out in Zabadani

Agreement Between Jaish al-Islam and Jabhat al-Nusra to Reduce Tension in East Ghouta

The rebel faction Jaish al-Islam and the Islamist group Jabhat al-Nusra have signed an agreement to end their disputes in the East Ghouta area near Damascus.

Earlier this month Jaish al-Islam, the leading faction in East Ghouta, arrested al-Nusra members over claimed abuses. The prospect of clashes between the groups rose until another rebel commander stepped in as a mediator.

The agreement says both sides will stop all incitement and defamation campaigns, and hold violators accountable. There will security cooperation and the possibility of joint military operations.

Kurdish-Rebel Operations Room in Kobane Expels 2 Free Syrian Army Units

The general command of the Euphrates Volcano operations room in Kobane has expelled two Free Syrian Army battalions — Zaza and Jund al-Heremin — on charges of robbery and “unethical actions”.

Earlier, inaccurate claims on social media had said that the Kurdish YPG militia had removed all FSA units involved in this spring’s offensive against the Islamic State in northern Syria.

The FSA units have assisted the Kurdish forces in an advance that has secured Kobane and linked the Kobane and Cezire cantons along the Turkish border.