At Least 22 Killed in Syria’s First Suicide Attack on Church

• Jun 23, 2025

At least 22 people have been killed in a suicide bombing that targeted a church in Damascus, Syria's capital, in what rights observers say is the first such attack inside a church since the Syrian conflict began in 2011.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, confirmed that the deadly explosion marked a grim milestone in the 13-year-long war. Although churches have previously been damaged during nearby fighting or shelling, none had been directly targeted by a suicide bomber until now.

The attack has shocked the local Christian community and drawn widespread condemnation. The identity of the attacker and the group responsible have not yet been confirmed. However, the use of a suicide bomber suggests a highly coordinated and intentional strike aimed at causing maximum civilian casualties.

The exact location of the church in Damascus and the circumstances leading up to the attack have not been fully disclosed. Security forces quickly cordoned off the area following the explosion, and emergency responders rushed to transport the injured to nearby hospitals. The death toll is expected to rise, as many of those wounded remain in critical condition.

The Observatory noted that while churches and religious sites have often found themselves in the crossfire during Syria’s complex war, this marks the first time a church was deliberately chosen as the site of a suicide bombing. Such an act represents an alarming escalation in tactics used against religious minorities in the region.

This attack comes at a time when Syria continues to grapple with instability, despite the decline in large-scale fighting in recent years. Remnants of extremist groups, including ISIS and other jihadist factions, still carry out occasional attacks across the country.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the bombing, but authorities have launched an investigation to identify the perpetrator and uncover whether a broader network was involved.

The targeting of a place of worship underscores ongoing fears about the vulnerability of minority communities in Syria, particularly Christians, who have often been caught in the middle of the country’s long and brutal civil war.