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June 23, 2025 – Damascus, Syria – A suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest inside a Greek Orthodox church on the outskirts of Damascus on Sunday, killing at least 22 people and injuring 63 others during a service, according to Syrian state media.
The attack occurred during the Divine Liturgy at the Mar Elias Church in Dweil’a, a predominantly Christian district near the Syrian capital. The Syrian Health Ministry confirmed the casualty figures, while the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported at least 19 dead and dozens more wounded, without specifying an exact toll. Local media noted that children were among the victims.
Witnesses and officials described a horrifying scene in which a gunman, face covered, entered the church, opened fire on worshippers, and detonated a suicide vest when congregants attempted to confront him. Some accounts suggest a second gunman fired at the church entrance before the explosion.
The bombing is the deadliest attack on a Christian place of worship in Syria in recent years and marks a significant escalation in violence amid the country’s ongoing instability.
No group has claimed responsibility, but Syria’s Interior Ministry said preliminary investigations point to the extremist Islamic State (IS) group. Ministry spokesman Noureddine Al-Baba stated that “the security of places of worship is a red line” and accused both IS and remnants of the former Assad regime of attempting to destabilize the country.
The attack comes as President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s government, under de facto Islamist rule in parts of Syria, seeks to court support from minority groups, including Christians. The presence of extremist sleeper cells remains a pressing concern in areas where central control is weak.
Syrian Information Minister Hamza Mostafa condemned the bombing, calling it a “cowardly terrorist attack.” In a statement on social media platform X, he reaffirmed the government’s commitment to protecting all citizens and combating extremism: “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.”
Syria’s Social Affairs and Labor Minister Hind Kabawat, the only Christian and female minister in the government, visited the church and met with clergy to offer condolences.
Father Fadi Ghattas, who was present during the attack, said, “People were praying safely under the eyes of God… There were 350 people praying at the church.” He claimed to have personally seen at least 20 victims.
Another survivor, Issam Nasr, described the devastation: “We have never held a knife in our lives. All we ever carried were our prayers… People were blown to bits.”
Images released by state media SANA showed bloodstained pews and debris scattered throughout the church. Emergency services and security forces quickly responded to the scene as panicked survivors searched for loved ones.
The attack underscores the fragility of religious and communal life in Syria as the country continues to grapple with violence, political division, and the lingering threat of extremist resurgence.
