The attack occurred during a prayer service at the Mar Elias Church in the Dweil’a neighborhood
A suicide bomber detonated an explosive inside a crowded church on the outskirts of Damascus on Sunday, according to Syrian state television and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
AP reports thatthe attack occurred during a prayer service at the Mar Elias Church in the Dweil’a neighborhood. The UK-based war monitor reported that around 30 people were either killed or injured in the blast, though the exact toll remains uncertain. Some local media sources indicated that children were among the victims.
This marks the first such church attack in Syria in several years and comes at a time when Damascus, currently under de facto Islamist rule, is attempting to gain the trust of minority communities. President Ahmad al-Sharaa is facing ongoing challenges in asserting control nationwide amid persistent instability and fears of sleeper cells belonging to extremist groups.
Emergency responders and security forces quickly arrived at the scene. In a video circulating widely on social media, an eyewitness claimed the attacker entered the church, opened fire, and then detonated an explosive vest.
