Suicide Bombing at Orthodox Church Kills 25—What We Know
A suicide bomber has killed at least 25 people and injured 63 of the 350 congregants after opening fire and then self-detonating at a Greek Orthodox church in Syria on Sunday.
2025-07-14 14:00:11 - VI News Staff
A service was taking place at the church, located in the Dweila neighborhood of Damascus, when a man believed to be connected to the Islamic State militant group (IS) entered with a weapon.
The bombing destroyed the entrance to the church, killing and injuring people both inside and in the church's vicinity. Footage of the aftermath shows broken pews and blood strewn across the church's walls.
"The attack is likely to have a major impact on the Christian community in Syria," Antonio Giustozzi, Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) senior research fellow in terrorism and conflict, told Newsweek. "Any efforts to invest human and other resources in protecting it will be controversial for the current government, as Christians are seen as old supporters of the previous regime."
Syria's new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa is a former member of Al-Qaeda but has pledged to unite Syria as a pluralistic society. Attacks such as these lead to questions over whether he is serious about expelling radical Islamist groups from the country.
Aid cuts by the Trump administration have compromised efforts within Syria to repatriate IS members living in prison camps across the country, and have led to major security lapses including smuggling of people out of camps holding IS members and their families.
Such lapses have created concerns around IS terrorism in the country.