A suicide bomber in Syria on Sunday detonated himself inside a Greek Orthodox church filled with people, killing at least 20, Syrian state media reported.
The explosion in Dweila, on the outskirts of Damascus, took place as people were praying inside the Mar Elias Church. SANA, citing Syria’s health ministry, said that at least 53 others were wounded.
Britain-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there were at least 19 people killed and dozens of others wounded, but did not give exact numbers. Some local media reported that children were among the casualties.
The attack on the church was the first of its kind in Syria in years, and comes as Damascus, under its de facto Islamist rule, is trying to win the support of minorities. As President Ahmad al-Sharaa struggles to exert authority across the country, there have been concerns about the presence of sleeper cells of extremist groups in the war-torn country.
No group immediately claimed responsibility Sunday, but the Syrian Interior Ministry said an extremist from the Islamic State group entered the church and fired at the people there before detonating himself with an explosives vest. The account echoing some witness testimonies.
Syrian Information Minister Hamza Mostafa condemned the attack, calling it a terrorist attack.
“This cowardly act goes against the civic values that brings us together,” he said on X. “We will not back down from our commitment to equal citizenship… and we also affirm the state’s pledge to exert all its efforts to combat criminal organizations and to protect society from all attacks threatening its safety.”
Church Bishop Moussa Khoury said the attacker also threw a grenade into the church during the afternoon Mass.
“He started shooting, went and then he blew up the church,” he told The Associated Press.
A witness who identified himself as Rawad told AP he saw the attacker, accompanied by two others who fled, as he was driving near the church.
“He was shooting at the church…. He then went inside the church and blew himself up,” he said.
However, Meletius Shahati, a church priest, said there was a second gunman who shot at the church door before the other person detonated himself.
Security forces and first responders rushed to the church. Panicked survivors wailed, as one lady fell to her knees and burst into tears.
A photo circulated by Syrian state media SANA showed the church’s pews covered in debris and blood, and a livestream from the site by Syria’s civil defense, the White Helmets, showed scenes of destruction, including a bloodied floor, and shattered pews and masonry.
Sharaa, who led the offensive against toppled dictator Bashar al-Assad, has repeatedly said he will protect minorities, but faced questions over his past as leader of an al-Qaeda linked group.
“We unequivocally condemn the abhorrent terrorist suicide bombing at the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus, Syria,” the Greek foreign ministry said in a statement.
“We demand that the Syrian transitional authorities take immediate action to hold those involved accountable and implement measures to guarantee the safety of Christian communities and all religious groups, allowing them to live without fear.”
The French foreign ministry also condemned the “despicable” attack, and expressed “full solidarity with the Syrian people, who hope that Syria will find its way back to peace.”
ISIS had previously targeted religious minorities, including a major attack on Shiite pilgrims in Sayeda Zainab in 2016 — one of the most notorious bombings during Assad’s rule.
While it was all but defeated in Syria in March 2019, its sleeper cells have continued to carry out deadly attacks, mainly in eastern and northeast Syria.
The latest assault underscores the group’s continued ability to exploit security gaps despite the collapse of its territorial control and years of counterterrorism efforts.