In brief
A bomb detonated at a café 100 m from Damascus’ Palace of Justice, claiming six lives and wounding 22. State‑run media reported the attack, but no group has taken responsibility yet. The incident follows a series of assaults on civilians that escalated after Bashar al‑Assad’s departure in 2024. The local governor vowed swift retaliation, amid ongoing sectarian tensions. Syrian authorities are probing the explosion amid reports of international terrorist involvement.
Bomb blast in a central Damascus café kills at least six people and injures 22, Syrian state media report.
The interior ministry confirmed an explosive device was planted inside the café, located roughly 100 m (330 ft) from the Palace of Justice in the Hejaz district.
So far no terrorist group has claimed responsibility. The attack follows the first major post‑2024 casualty spree, where the death toll exceeded 25 during a church bombing in June 2025.
The 2025 incident, a suicide attack on a church, was attributed by a shadowy jihadist group, Saraya Ansar al‑Sunnah, but authorities blamed the Islamic State.
Mohammed al‑Dahabi, owner of a glasses shop next to the café, described the scene: “I felt strong pressure, and the whole place shook. I ran to the place and saw people lying on the floor with blood pooled around them everywhere.”
Graphic footage posted by social media showed at least two men lying motionless on the café’s outdoor terrace.
Damascus Governor Maher Marwan Idlibi visited the site and promised that perpetrators would be punished, noting, “Every time the country sees a period of stability, malicious parties try to destabilise it.”
Since the end of the civil war in December 2024, Damascus has suffered several attacks and deadly sectarian clashes. Interim President Ahmed al‑Sharaa continues to struggle to consolidate control and restore security across Syria.
