Attack Targets Church in Syria

(MENAFN) A member of the ISIS (Daesh) extremist faction carried out a suicide assault on Sunday, opening fire inside Mar Elias Church in eastern Damascus before detonating himself, according to the Syrian Health Ministry.

The explosion led to the deaths of no fewer than 20 individuals and left 52 others wounded.

The Syrian Civil Defense reported that emergency medical teams were evacuating the injured from the site, while Internal Security Forces quickly sealed off the church vicinity to maintain public protection.

This response aimed to prevent any further escalation or threats in the area.

Brigadier General Osama Ataka, the head of Damascus' internal security, visited the scene of the explosion, as noted by an official state media outlet. Investigators began their preliminary examination into the act of terrorism shortly after the blast.

While the Syrian Interior Ministry confirmed that ISIS was linked to the assault, no organization has formally taken responsibility for the bombing of Mar Elias Church thus far.

This attack follows a recent operation by Syrian authorities on May 26, during which they revealed the presence of ISIS-affiliated cells in the outskirts of Damascus.

During that raid, security forces reportedly confiscated various light and moderate-caliber firearms.

Since the collapse of the Assad administration, Syria’s intelligence and security bodies have maintained efforts to track down suspects tied to offenses, abuses of human rights, and acts associated with terrorism.

MENAFN23062025000045017167ID1109708391