A suicide bomber in Syria opened fire before detonating an explosives vest inside the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church, located on the outskirts of Damascus, on Sunday. The attack, which took place during a prayer service, resulted in at least 22 deaths and injured 63 others, according to figures from the Syrian Health Ministry cited by the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported at least 19 fatalities and dozens more wounded, though exact numbers varied. Some local sources indicated that children were among those affected.
This assault marks the first attack on a place of worship of its kind in Syria in several years. It comes amid ongoing efforts by Damascus, currently under de facto Islamist control, to secure the backing of minority communities. With President Ahmad al-Sharaa facing difficulties in asserting control throughout the country, concerns have risen over the presence of sleeper extremist cells within the war-ravaged nation. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Syrian Interior Ministry spokesperson Noureddine Al-Baba indicated in a press briefing that preliminary investigations point to the Islamic State as the likely perpetrators. According to the ministry, a lone gunman entered the church, opened fire on worshippers, then detonated his explosives vest. Several eyewitnesses have confirmed this sequence of events.
“The security of places of worship is a red line,” Al-Baba stated, adding that Islamic State militants and remnants of the former government under ousted President Bashar Assad are working to destabilize Syria. Syrian Information Minister Hamza Mostafa condemned the bombing as a terrorist act, saying on X (formerly Twitter), “This cowardly act contradicts the civic values that unite us. We remain committed to equal citizenship and pledge to use all state resources to fight criminal organizations and protect society from such attacks.” Witnesses described the attacker as entering the church with his face covered, firing at congregants before detonating the explosives when a crowd tried to subdue him near the entrance.
In the evening, Syrian Social Affairs and Labor Minister Hind Kabawat visited the church to meet with clergy and offer condolences. “People were peacefully praying under God’s watch,” said Father Fadi Ghattas, who was inside the church at the time and reported seeing at least 20 victims. Another priest, Meletius Shahati, mentioned a second gunman who fired at the church door just prior to the explosion. Issam Nasr, a worshipper present during the attack, described the horrific scene: “People were blown to bits. We have never carried weapons—only our prayers.” Security forces and emergency responders quickly arrived at the scene as survivors wailed in panic. One woman collapsed to her knees, overcome with grief. A photo circulated by SANA showed pews stained with blood and scattered debris throughout the church.