ISIS behind deadly church suicide bombing near Damascus, Syrian interior minister says

The Islamic State is believed to be behind a deadly suicide bombing that happened at a Greek Orthodox church in Syria on Sunday. 

At least 22 people were killed, and 63 others were injured in the attack that took place at the Mar Elias Church in Dweil’a, located on the outskirts of Damascus. It reportedly began while people were praying. The perpetrator first opened fire on the worshipers, before detonating himself.

While no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, Syrian Interior Ministry spokesman Noureddine Al-Baba suggested ISIS as a likely culprit following a preliminary investigation.

“The security of places of worship is a red line,” Al-Baba said further, castigating ISIS and what remains of the former government of Ba’athist dictator Bashar al-Assad as actors trying to destabilize Syria.

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The country’s foreign ministry echoed Al-Baba, describing the attack as “a desperate attempt to undermine national coexistence and to destabilize the country.”

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The attack drew international condemnation. “These terrible acts of cowardice have no place in the new tapestry of integrated tolerance and inclusion that Syrians are weaving,” U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack wrote on X. 

“We continue to support the Syrian government as it fights against those who are seeking to create instability and fear in their country and the broader region,” the post concluded.

The attack comes amid a time of heightened political unrest in the notoriously volatile Middle East – less than 24 hours after the U.S. launched airstrikes on three of Iran’s top nuclear facilities. 

Israel launched a series of similar attacks, including attacks on the Iranian capital, Tehran, in the weeks prior.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.