UN Security Council condemns IS attacks in Syrian coastal cities

The UN Security Council on Tuesday condemned "in the strongest terms" the terrorist attacks in Syria's Mediterranean coastal cities of Jableh and Tartous, which were claimed by the Islamic State (IS).

Several bomb blasts rocked the two cities on Monday, leaving nearly 150 people dead and at least 200 others wounded.

In a press statement, the Security Council reaffirmed its grave concern that the IS and other terrorist groups continue operating in Syria, and condemned the negative impact of their presence, violent extremist ideology and actions on Syria's stability.

"The members of the Security Council underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice and stressed that those responsible for these terrorist attacks should be held accountable," read the statement.

The 15-nation council also called for convening a new round of negotiations between parties to the Syrian conflict under the auspices of the United Nations, and urged the parties to engage constructively in the process.

Since 2014, the IS has seized large swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq. By conducting mass killings, beheadings and terrorist attacks against civilians, the extremist group has become notorious for its brutality.

On Tuesday, U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces and allied militant groups unleashed a military offensive against the IS' de facto capital in al-Raqqa province in northern Syria in a bid to recapture the province. Endi