Syria’s Interior Ministry said a member of the Islamic State group was behind Sunday’s (June 22, 2025) attack on a church in Damascus, which civil defence reported had killed at least 15 people.
It is the first attack of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, as security remains one of the greatest challenges for the country’s new authorities.
AFP correspondents at the scene saw first responders transporting people from the site, with destruction at the church including shattered wood from fittings and pews, icons strewn on the ground and pools of blood.
People and Civil Defence members inspect the damage after a blast rocked the Mar Elias Church, according to witnesses, in the Dweila neighbourhood of Damascus, Syria, on June 22, 2025. | Photo Credit: Reuters
The Interior Ministry said in a statement that “a suicide attacker affiliated with the Daesh (IS) terrorist group entered the Saint Elias church in the Dwelaa area of the capital Damascus, where he opened fire and then blew himself up with an explosive belt”.
