At least 22 people were killed and 63 others wounded in a suicide bombing that tore through a Greek Orthodox church during an evening service in the Syrian capital on Sunday, in one of the deadliest attacks on Christians in Damascus in recent years.
The attacker, reportedly linked to the jihadist group Islamic State (IS), stormed the Church of the Prophet Elias in the Dweila neighborhood shortly after sunset. According to Syria’s interior ministry, the man opened fire before detonating an explosive vest at the church’s entrance, where worshippers had gathered for liturgy.
Photos and video from the scene revealed a sanctuary left in ruins: shattered pews, blood-smeared floors, and the altar scorched and splintered. Witnesses described a moment of terror and confusion as gunfire erupted moments before the deadly blast.
“Someone entered from outside carrying a weapon and began shooting. People tried to stop him before he blew himself up,” said Lawrence Maamari, a churchgoer who spoke to a reporter.
Another local, Ziad, recounted hearing gunfire and then “a massive explosion that sent glass flying” and ignited fires within the building. “The wooden benches were thrown all the way to the entrance,” he added.
Sunday’s bombing marked the first major terrorist attack in Damascus since Islamist-led rebel factions ousted President Bashar al-Assad in December, ending over a decade of civil war.
Although the Islamic State has not officially claimed responsibility, Syria’s interior ministry said the assailant was a known IS operative.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, in a strongly worded statement, mourned the dead and condemned what it called a “treacherous hand of evil” that struck during worship. The patriarchate urged Syria’s transitional authorities to “assume full responsibility” for safeguarding all religious communities.
“These acts are a violation against the sanctity of churches and a painful reminder of our vulnerable peace,” the statement read.
Syria’s Interior Minister Anas Khattab said counterterrorism investigators were examining the incident and vowed justice. “These terrorist acts will not stop the efforts of the Syrian state in achieving civil peace,” he stated.
The office of the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, condemned the bombing, calling on all Syrians to “unite in rejecting terrorism, extremism, incitement and the targeting of any community.”
US Special Envoy Tom Barrack also decried the attack, emphasizing that “acts of cowardice have no place in the new tapestry of integrated tolerance and inclusion that Syrians are weaving.”
Though territorially defeated in Syria since 2019, IS remains a potent threat. A UN report in February warned that the group could exploit Syria’s ongoing power vacuum to regroup and launch fresh attacks. Intelligence estimates suggest 1,500 to 3,000 IS fighters are active in Syria and Iraq, with about 300 operating from the Badia desert a known hub for external operations.
More than 9,000 IS fighters remain incarcerated in northeast Syria, while some 40,000 family members primarily women and children are held in squalid camps across the region.
IS has a history of targeting religious minorities in Syria. In 2016, coordinated IS bombings near the Sayyida Zeinab shrine in Damascus killed more than 70 people. Sunday’s attack has revived fears of renewed sectarian unrest in the fragile post-war order.
Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose HTS movement has itself drawn international condemnation for past extremism, promised heightened security and reaffirmed his pledge to protect Syria’s diverse communities. Still, two waves of sectarian violence in recent months have cast doubt on the transitional government’s control.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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