Syrian security forces stand guard outside the St Elias church, where a bomber detonated himself in Damascus. (AP pic)

DAMASCUS : At least 22 people were killed Sunday in a suicide attack on a church in Damascus, authorities said, blaming a member of the Islamic State group for the unprecedented attack.

The international community condemned the attack, the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad in December.

It was also the first inside a church in Syria since the country’s civil war erupted in 2011, according to a monitor.

Security remains one of the greatest challenges for Syria’s new authorities, whom the international community has repeatedly urged to protect minorities.

An interior ministry statement said, “A suicide attacker affiliated with the Daesh (IS) terrorist group entered the Saint Elias church in the Dwelaa area… opened fire then blew himself up with an explosive belt.”

AFP correspondents saw first responders transporting people from the Orthodox church as security forces cordoned off the area.

The church itself was strewn with wood from fittings and pews, with fallen icons and pools of blood on the floor.

A health ministry statement carried by state news agency SANA said 22 people had been killed and dozens wounded, raising an earlier toll of 20 dead.

Lawrence Maamari who was inside the church when the attack happened, told AFP a man had entered and begun shooting. People “tried to stop him before he blew himself up”, he added.

Ziad Helou, 40, who was at a shop nearby, said he heard gunfire, then an explosion, and saw glass flying.

“We saw fire in the church and the remains of wooden benches thrown all the way to the entrance,” he said.

The blast sparked panic and fear in the church, which had been full of worshippers including children and the elderly, eyewitnesses said. Families were still searching desperately for missing loved ones.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it was the first suicide attack inside a church in Syria since war erupted in 2011. Other churches had been damaged or had attacks had been in their vicinity during the conflict – but none had been so directly targeted.

The Orthodox patriarchate in Damascus called on “the authorities to bear full responsibility for what has happened and is happening concerning the violation of the sanctity of churches and to ensure the protection of all citizens”.

Syria’s Christian community has shrunk from around one million before the war to under 300,000 due to waves of displacement and emigration.

The UN special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen expressed “outrage at this heinous crime”, calling for a full investigation.

US special envoy Tom Barrack said Washington supported Syria “as it fights against those who are seeking to create instability and fear in their country and the broader region”.

Turkey, which is close to the new authorities, expressed confidence that Syrians would stay united in “their fight against terrorist organisations that seek to sow chaos in the country”.

France’s foreign ministry restated its commitment to “a transition in Syria that allows Syrians, whatever their religion, to live in peace and security in a free, united, pluralistic, prosperous, stable and sovereign” country.

Egypt’s Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam’s prestigious seat of learning, called it a “blatant assault on the right to life” and worship.

Syria’s foreign ministry described the attack as “a desperate attempt to undermine national coexistence and to destabilise the country”.

Assad had portrayed himself as a protector of minorities, who during Syria’s nearly 14-year civil war were targeted by numerous attacks – many of them claimed by groups including IS.

Since the new authorities took power, the international community has urged the government to protect minorities and ensure their participation in Syria’s transition, particularly after sectarian violence in recent months.

Interior minister Anas Khattab said that specialised teams had begun investigating.

“These terrorist acts will not stop the efforts of the Syrian state in achieving civil peace,” Khattab said according to a statement.

In an interview earlier this month, Khattab said that IS had shifted “to studied attacks on strategic targets” and had attempted “to carry out attacks against the Christian and Shiite community” that the authorities had thwarted.

Last month, IS claimed its first attack on Syria’s new government forces, but authorities said they had arrested members of an IS cell near Damascus, accusing them of preparing attacks.

IS seized large swathes of Syrian and Iraqi territory in the early years of the civil war, declaring a cross-border “caliphate” in 2014 before being territorially defeated in 2019.

Deadlines:

Monday-Friday 8:30am-4:00pm, Call 610-915-2226

(Proofs will be provided for accuracy only, they will not be styled/formatted like the finished product)

Obituaries submitted on Saturday, Sunday and Holidays are accepted from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. by email only Obit@delcotimes.com

(No proofs will be furnished. Pricing will not be available until the next business day after 10:00am by calling Dianne at 610-915-2226)

Obituaries received after Deadline will not be published in the following edition of the paper.

Sending Procedure:

Email is the preferable method for receiving Obituaries (and the only method on Saturday, Sunday and Holidays), they can be sent to Obit@delcotimes.com (Feel free to call and confirm that we’ve received the email)

Formatting:

Obituaries will continue to visually look the same as they currently do, but you will no longer be restricted in what you can say (ex. As much Family can be listed as you’d like; Wording like “Went to rest with the Lord” is now permissible)

Other:

There is a cost for each obituary. Pricing and payments are only available Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. All weekend and holiday submissions will be provided a cost the next business day.

Exceptions:

All New accounts, Out of State Funeral Homes and Private Parties will require prepayment upon approval of the obituary. Weekend and Holiday staff are not authorized to set up a new account or process payments

Deadline for the above is before 4:00 PM Mon – Fri. only (Holiday schedules may vary).

Prepayment required submissions will be handled on the very first business day following the weekend and/or holiday schedule. A complete name, address and best contact phone number are required upon submittal of your obituary request to set up your account. A proof will then be emailed for review but placed on hold until payment is received.

At the blood-stained Saint Elias church in Damascus, Umm George wept as she desperately searched for her son, who was among the worshippers when a suicide bomber struck on Sunday.

In vain, she tried to convince Syrian security forces, who had cordoned off the area, to let her into the church, whose windows had been blown out and whose interior was covered with debris and damaged pews.

“My son was praying in the church,” she told AFP. “I tried to contact him but his mobile phone is off the air and I haven’t been able to find him.”

“I’m afraid I won’t hear his voice again,” she said, breaking down.

Panicked family members rushed to the church in the working-class Dwelaa district of the Syrian capital searching for loved ones after news of the blast spread.

The interior ministry said “a suicide attacker affiliated with the Daesh (IS) terrorist group” entered the church, “opened fire then blew himself up with an explosive belt” in an unprecedented attack inside a Syrian church since war erupted more than 14 years ago.

Authorities said more than 20 people were killed and dozens wounded.

AFP correspondents saw blood and human remains inside the devastated church, whose panels holding religious icons were scattered on the ground and its central chandelier shattered.

The blast sparked panic in the church, which had been full of worshippers including children and the elderly, an eyewitness said.

Lawrence Maamari, who was among those inside, said that “someone entered from outside carrying a weapon” and began shooting, adding that people “tried to stop him before he blew himself up”.

Maamari said he helped move around 10 casualties from the scene, as local residents tried to help the wounded before ambulances and other emergency vehicles arrived.

Other worshippers were shocked, unable to comprehend what had happened, their faces filled with grief.

The force of the blast sent glass flying towards a shop opposite, where Ziad Helou, 40, said he heard gunfire then an explosion, and threw himself to the ground in fear.

“We saw fire in the church and the remains of wooden benches thrown all the way to the entrance,” he said.

Several churches were damaged during Syria’s war, which erupted in 2011, or attacks were carried out in their vicinity, but none were directly hit by such an attack.

The government of now-ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad long portrayed itself as a protector of minorities, who were targeted by numerous attacks during the conflict, many claimed by jihadist groups including IS.

The attack is also the first of its kind since the new authorities took over after Assad’s December ouster, while the international community has repeatedly called for minorities to be protected.

“We were extremely afraid,” said Helou.

“I remember the explosions during the war,” he added.

A suicide bomber in Syria on Sunday detonated himself inside a church, killing at least 15 people, AFP reported. People and rescuers inspect the damage at the site of a reported suicide attack at the Saint Elias church in Damascus’ Dwelaa area on June 22, 2025.(AFP)

The explosion in Dweil’a in the outskirts of Damascus took place as people were praying inside the Mar Elias Church, according to the Associated Press.

“The number of victims in the terrorist attack that targeted the Saint Elias church in the Dwelaa area of Damascus has risen to 20 dead and 52 wounded,” said a health ministry statement carried by state news agency SANA.

No group immediately claimed responsibility Sunday, but the Syrian interior ministry said a member of the Islamic State group was behind the attack.

Also Read | The Arab world thinks differently about this Iran war

“A suicide attacker affiliated with the Daesh (IS) terrorist group entered the Saint Elias church… opened fire, then blew himself up with an explosive belt,” the country’s interior ministry said in a statement.

Syrian Information Minister Hamza Mostafa condemned the attack, calling it a terrorist attack.

“This cowardly act goes against the civic values that brings us together,” he said on X. “We will not back down from our commitment to equal citizenship … and we also affirm the state’s pledge to exert all its efforts to combat criminal organizations and to protect society from all attacks threatening its safety.”

What eyewitness said

Lawrence Maamari, who was among those inside the church, told AFP that “someone entered from outside carrying a weapon” and began shooting, adding that people “tried to stop him before he blew himself up”.

Also Read | Islamic State reactivating fighters, eying comeback in Syria and Iraq

Maamari added that he helped move around 10 casualties from the scene, as local residents tried to help the wounded before ambulances and other emergency vehicles arrived.

The attack is the first of its kind since the new authorities took over after Bashar al-Assad’s December ouster.

By Eyad Kourdi and Catherine Nicholls, CNN

Aleppo, Syria (CNN) — At least 20 people have been killed and 52 more are injured after a “terrorist attack” on a Greek Orthodox church in the Syrian capital on Sunday, according to the country’s health ministry.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but Syria’s Ministry of Interior Affairs told CNN that it was carried out by a “suicide bomber affiliated with the terrorist organization ISIS.”

He opened fire on the congregation of Mar Elias Church in Damascus, before “detonating himself using an explosive vest,” the ministry said in a statement.

A mass was being held at the church at the time of the attack, according to Syria’s state news agency SANA.

A video circulating on Syrian social media from inside the church shows dead bodies, significant destruction, shattered glass and broken chairs in the area where mass was being held, with blood visible throughout the scene.

Syria’s civil defense, popularly known as the White Helmets, said emergency teams were working to transfer the bodies to hospitals and secure the area.

“The treacherous hand of evil struck” on Sunday, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch said in a statement, writing that “an explosion occurred at the entrance of the church, resulting in the deaths of numerous martyrs and causing injuries to many others who were inside the church or in its immediate vicinity.”

“We offer our prayers for the repose of the souls of the martyrs, for the healing of the wounded, and for the consolation of our grieving faithful. We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to our faith and, through that steadfastness, our rejection of all fear and intimidation,” the church said.

The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Geir O. Pedersen, expressed “outrage” at the “heinous crime,” his office said in a statement.

“Mr. Pedersen calls on all to unite in rejecting terrorism, extremism, incitement and the targeting of any community in Syria. He sends his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and his hope for the recovery of those injured,” the statement said.

The United States’ Special Envoy for Syria, Thomas Barrack, called the attack an act of “cowardice,” saying in a statement that it has “no place in the new tapestry of integrated tolerance and inclusion that Syrians are weaving.”

The foreign ministries of Turkey, Jordan, Iraq, Israel, Greece, Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Palestinian Authority, Yemen, Oman, Bahrain, Ukraine, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands also spoke out in condemnation of the attack.

The-CNN-Wire

™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

CNN’s Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report.