Suicide Bombing at Damascus Church Kills at Least 20, Dozens Injured in First Major Attack Since Assad’s Fall

Image Credentials: Image Title: Suicide Bombing at Damascus Church Kills at Least 20, Dozens Injured in First Major Attack Since Assad’s Fall  Source: (sora.chatgpt) Date: June 2025  Attribution: Created by AI-generated imagery (sora.chatgpt), it does not depict a real-world scene.

By Staff Writer with Agencies | Open Chronicle Middle East Desk – June 23, 2025

Damascus, Syria — At least 20 people were killed and more than 50 injured on Sunday, June 22, when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest inside the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Damascus, according to Syrian health authorities and security sources.

It is the first major suicide bombing in the capital since former President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown in December by an Islamist-led insurgency, marking a chilling escalation in Syria’s post-Assad transition.

Horrifying.

A terrorist entered St. Elias Church in Damascus today and blew himself up.

Over 20 innocent people were slaughtered while praying.

This nightmare was unknown in Syria—until the US, Israel, and NATO flooded the country with takfiri death squads. pic.twitter.com/0BnhLnHfe9

— sarah (@sahouraxo) June 22, 2025

The country’s Interior Ministry confirmed that the attacker was a member of the Islamic State (ISIS). The militant reportedly entered the church during a service, opened fire, and then blew himself up, the ministry said in a statement. A security source revealed that two attackers were involved, though only one detonated explosives. The other remains unaccounted for.

“This is the first successful ISIS attack on a church in Damascus since Assad’s fall,” a senior intelligence official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. “There were multiple attempts before, but this time they got through.”

The Syrian Health Ministry later reported that at least 52 people were injured, some critically. Emergency crews from the White Helmets broadcast a livestream from the aftermath, showing shattered pews, blood-soaked floors, and collapsed sections of masonry inside the historic church.

Nation in Mourning, International Condemnation

President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who assumed power in January following Assad’s ouster and is leading the country’s fragile transitional government, issued a statement condemning the bombing and vowed to protect religious minorities.

“We will not allow terrorism to divide our nation. Christians and all religious groups are part of Syria’s soul and future,” Sharaa said.

The Greek Foreign Ministry swiftly condemned the attack as “abhorrent,” urging Syria’s transitional authorities to hold those responsible accountable.

“We demand that the Syrian transitional authorities take immediate action to guarantee the safety of Christian communities and all religious groups, allowing them to live without fear,” the statement read.

ISIS Exploiting Security Gaps

The attack has raised urgent questions about the state of security in post-Assad Syria, particularly in areas like Damascus that were previously under tight regime control. Despite the collapse of ISIS’s territorial caliphate, the group continues to mount asymmetric terror attacks, targeting religious minorities and exploiting transitional chaos.

ISIS has a history of attacking non-Sunni groups in Syria. One of its deadliest assaults during Assad’s rule was the 2016 bombing targeting Shiite pilgrims in Sayeda Zainab, which killed dozens.

Call for Protection of Minorities

Sunday’s bombing is seen not only as a security failure but also as a symbolic attack on Syria’s diverse cultural and religious identity. Christian communities — particularly the Greek Orthodox — had maintained a precarious peace even through the years of civil war, often under Assad’s protection.

The latest assault has sparked renewed fears among Syria’s Christian minority, many of whom worry about their future amid growing Islamist influence in the transitional political landscape.

As Syria continues to grapple with instability and rebuild governance structures, the Mar Elias Church bombing serves as a grim reminder that terrorism remains a potent threat, and protecting vulnerable communities will be a defining challenge for the new regime.