Suicide Bomber Kills 22 at Damascus Church in First Major Attack Since Assad’s Fall
DAMASCUS – A suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest inside a Greek Orthodox church in Damascus on Sunday, killing 22 people and injuring 63, according to Syria’s health ministry. Authorities have identified the attacker as a member of the Islamic State group.
The attack took place during an evening service at the Church of the Prophet Elias in Dweila, a residential neighborhood near the eastern Bab Sharqi gate of the Old City. Witnesses say the man entered the building with a firearm, opened fire on worshippers, and then triggered his vest when parishioners attempted to stop him.
“Someone entered from outside carrying a weapon and began shooting,” said Lawrence Maamari, who was inside the church. “People tried to stop him before he blew himself up.”
Photos from the scene show shattered pews, stained glass blown inward, and blood on the church floor. Burnt wooden debris from the blast was visible all the way to the church entrance.
Ziad, who was nearby when the blast occurred, described hearing rapid gunfire followed by a powerful explosion. “We saw fire in the church and the remains of benches thrown outside,” he said.
This was the first major suicide bombing in the capital since President Bashar al-Assad’s ouster in December 2024, which marked the end of Syria’s 13-year civil war. The bombing comes amid ongoing unrest and rising sectarian tensions in the fragile postwar transition.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch issued a statement condemning the “treacherous hand of evil” behind the bombing. “We mourn our loved ones who fell today as martyrs during the divine liturgy,” it said.
According to the church, the blast occurred near the entrance, killing victims both inside and just outside the building. The Patriarchate called on Syria’s interim leadership to “assume full responsibility” and to guarantee the safety of all citizens, regardless of faith.
Interior Minister Anas Khattab called the bombing a “reprehensible crime” and confirmed that a forensic investigation was underway. “These terrorist acts will not deter the state’s efforts to preserve civil peace,” he said.
The attack was also condemned by international leaders. The UN’s special envoy to Syria urged the country to “unite in rejecting terrorism, extremism, and incitement.” The U.S. special representative stated the “acts of cowardice have no place in the new era of Syrian coexistence.”
Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham holds power under the transitional government, has previously pledged to protect religious minorities. However, the church bombing adds to growing fears following recent waves of sectarian clashes across Syria.
The Islamic State group has not officially claimed responsibility, but authorities point to the group’s record. IS has a history of targeting Christian, Shia, and other minority groups in Syria. In 2016, IS suicide bombers killed over 70 people near the Sayyida Zeinab shrine, another religious site in Damascus.
Though IS lost its territorial hold in Syria in 2019, the group remains active. A UN report released in February estimated between 1,500 and 3,000 IS fighters remain in Syria and Iraq, with many operating in central and eastern Syria. The Badia desert region continues to serve as a staging area for external attacks.
More than 9,000 IS fighters are being held in prisons across northeast Syria, and about 40,000 individuals linked to the group, mostly women and children, are detained in camps.
Authorities fear the ongoing instability and gaps in security during the political transition may give extremist groups like IS an opening to reignite violence. Sunday’s bombing may be a grim sign of that threat.
