A suicide bombing at the Mar Elias (St Elias) Orthodox Church in Damascus killed at least 22 people and injured 63 others during Sunday evening Mass, Syrian authorities confirmed.
The assault marks the deadliest and first such attack on a Christian place of worship in the Syrian capital in years.
Officials reported that two armed attackers stormed the church in the predominantly Christian Dweilaa neighbourhood.
The assailants opened fire on worshippers before detonating explosive belts near the entrance.
Witnesses recall chaos and horror
Parish priest Melatios Shtah condemned the incident, calling it a ‘terrorist act that violates every religion and every shred of humanity’.
He described how the attackers first fired shots in the courtyard before entering the church and triggering the deadly blast.
Worshipper Lawrence Maamari, speaking to Xinhua, said, “They were yelling sectarian slogans while shooting. Then everything went dark after the explosion.”
The blast sent worshippers into panic, and emergency responders rushed to the scene. Authorities sealed off the area and called on residents to keep roads clear, while hospitals issued urgent appeals for blood donations.
Women and children among the victims
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the death toll and reported that women and children were among those killed. The group described the bombing as a ‘dangerous escalation’ in Syria’s security situation.
The Observatory noted that earlier attacks on Christian sites during the civil war were mostly limited to looting or sabotage in regions once controlled by the Islamic State. Sunday’s assault, it said, represents a shift in strategy, aimed at inflaming sectarian tensions and undermining civil peace.
Officials suspect Islamic State sleeper cells
While no group has claimed responsibility for the bombing, Syrian interior officials stated that preliminary evidence points to Islamic State sleeper cells as the likely perpetrators.
Political analyst Mohammad Nader Al-Omari suggested the attack may have been deliberately timed to exploit regional instability following a recent US airstrike on Iran.
Information chief Hamzah al-Mustafa labelled the bombing a ‘cowardly act meant to undermine national cohesion’ and promised that security forces would bring the perpetrators to justice.
Calm shattered after years of stability
Damascus had remained largely secure since government forces reclaimed surrounding rebel-held areas in 2018. Sunday’s attack shattered that calm and reignited fears of renewed terrorist activity, particularly from IS elements still operating in Syria’s south and east.
Justice affairs chief Mazhar al-Wais vowed swift justice.
“The state will not allow criminals to destabilise society,” he wrote on X, promising fair and prompt trials for those behind the attack.
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