In brief
A bomb planted inside a crowded cafe in central Damascus killed at least six people and injured 22 others, authorities said. The attack is the most lethal in the capital since a 2025 church bombing that killed 25. Syrian officials blame the Islamic State, while a shadowy jihadi group claimed responsibility for the earlier attack. Officials vow to hold the perpetrators accountable amid ongoing unrest after the fall of the Assad regime.
A bomb blast at a crowded cafe in central Damascus has killed at least six people and injured 22 others, Syrian state media say.
The interior ministry reported that an explosive device was planted inside the cafe, which sits just 100 metres from the Palace of Justice in the Hejaz district.
No group claimed responsibility immediately, but the death toll places this attack as the deadliest since the 2025 suicide bombing that killed 25 in a church.
Authorities have blamed the Islamic State for the assault, even though a shadowy jihadist group, Saraya Ansar al‑Sunnah, previously claimed responsibility for the 2025 attack.
Mohammed al‑Dahabi, owner of a nearby glasses shop, told AFP: ’I felt strong pressure and the whole place shook. I ran to the scene and saw people lying on the floor with blood everywhere.’
Graphic video footage posted on social media shows at least two men lying motionless on the cafe’s terrace.
Damascus Governor Maher Marwan Idlibi visited the site and promised that those responsible for the bloodshed would be punished, adding that each time the country sees a period of stability, malicious parties try to destabilise it.
The attack follows a period of violent incidents across Syria since the fall of Bashar al‑Assad in December 2024. Interim President Ahmed al‑Sharaa has struggled to secure the nation and consolidate control.
Sectarian fighting has plagued the country, with clashes between government forces and members of Alawite and Druze communities continuing in the wake of the civil war.
