22 People Killed, 63 Others Injured In Suicide Bomb Attack On Church In Syria

The damage caused to church due to the bombing

Source: Africa Publicity

A suicide bomb attack on a church in the Syrian capital of Damascus has resulted in the deaths of 22 people, injuring 63 others, the Syrian health ministry has announced.

According to local media reports, a man opened fire with a weapon at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Prophet Elias in the Dweila during a service on Sunday evening, June 22, 2025.

After opening fire, the man later detonated an explosive vest, Syria’s Interior Ministry said.

According to the Interior Ministry, the suicide bomber was affiliated with the jihadist group Islamic State (IS).

Photos and video from inside the church which have gone viral online showed a heavily damaged altar, pews covered in broken glass and blood spattered across the walls.

A witness, Lawrence Maamari, reportedly told AFP news agency that “someone entered [the church] from outside carrying a weapon” and began shooting. People “tried to stop him before he blew himself up”.

The AFP cited another man named Zaid who was said to be in a nearby shop as saying he heard gunfire followed by an explosion that sent glass flying. “We saw fire in the church and the remains of wooden benches thrown all the way to the entrance.”

Reports say the Prophet Elias church is not far from the eastern Bab Sharqi gate of Damascus’s Old City.

In a statement, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch says “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 statement said initial information has indicated 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.

The patriarchate has called on the Syrian interim authorities to “assume full responsibility for what has happened and continues to happen in terms of violation against the sanctity of churches, and to ensure the protection of all citizens”.

Syria’s Interior Minister Anas Khattab says specialised teams from his ministry had begun investigating the circumstances of what he called a “reprehensible crime”.

According to him, “These terrorist acts will not stop the efforts of the Syrian state in achieving civil peace.”