At least 22 people were killed and dozens wounded in Damascus at the Greek Orthodox Church of Prophet Elias in Syria in a Suicide bomber attack during divine liturgy yesterday, Sunday, 22, health authorities and security sources said.
According to Syria’s Interior Ministry, the suicide bomber was a member of the Islamic State organization who entered the Orthodox church, opened fire, and then detonated the explosive belt.
Photos and video from inside the church showed a heavily damaged altar, pews covered in broken glass and blood spattered across the walls.
Initial information indicates that the bomb blast occurred at the entrance to the church, resulting in the deaths of people who were both inside the building and in the immediate vicinity, it added.
Witness Lawrence Maamari told the press that “someone entered the church from outside carrying a weapon” and began shooting. People “tried to stop him before he blew himself up”, he added.
Condemnations of the attack on the Damascus Orthodox Church attack
Upon hearing of the tragic and unbecoming attack on innocent civilians at Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus, Syria, several diplomatic missions, churches and authorities condemned this act of terrorism.
In a statement, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch said: “The treacherous hand of evil struck this evening, claiming our lives, along with the lives of our loved ones who fell today as martyrs during the evening divine liturgy.”
The patriarchate called upon Syria’s interim authorities to assume full responsibility for what has happened and continues to happen in terms of violations against the sanctity of churches, and to ensure the protection of all citizens.
Interior Minister Anas Khattab said specialised teams from his ministry had begun investigating the circumstances of what he called a “reprehensible crime”.
“These terrorist acts will not stop the efforts of the Syrian state in achieving civil peace,” he added.
The Greek foreign ministry said in a statement.”We unequivocally condemn the abhorrent terrorist suicide bombing at the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus, Syria.”
“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 ministry added.
First suicide bombing in Damascus since Bashar al-Assad was toppled
The Sunday attack on the Prophet Elias Orthodox Church was the first suicide bombing in Damascus since Bashar al-Assad was toppled by an Islamist-led rebel insurgency in December 2024.
Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa – whose Sunni Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), is a former al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria has repeatedly promised to protect religious and ethnic minorities.
However, in recent months, Syria has been rocked by two waves of deadly sectarian violence, and the Islamic State Group has frequently targeted Christians and other religious minorities in Syria, including a major attack on Shiite pilgrims in Sayeda Zainab in 2016 — one of the most notorious bombings during Assad’s rule.
The Sunday assault on the Greek Orthodox Church underscores the group’s continued ability to exploit security gaps despite the collapse of its territorial control and years of counterterrorism efforts.
