A blast inside a busy café in Damascus’s Hejaz district killed six people and wounded 22, state media reported on Thursday.
The interior ministry said the explosive was planted in the café’s kitchen, a mere 100 metres from the Palace of Justice. The attack has been described as the deadliest incident in the capital since a 2025 church bombing that killed 25.
No group immediately claimed responsibility, but authorities are pointing fingers at the Islamic State. Earlier, a shadowy jihadist faction called Saraya Ansar al‑Sunnah claimed responsibility for the 2025 church attack, a pattern the government is wary of.
Mohammed al‑Dahabi, the owner of a nearby glasses shop, reflected on how the blast echoed the terror that plagued Damascus during the civil war, noting how the ground shook and bodies lay scattered on the terrace.
During his visit to the scene, Governor Maher Marwan Idlibi warned that “those responsible will be punished.” He emphasised that any period of stability is challenged by “malicious parties” seeking to destabilise the country.
The bombardments have risen since the ousting of President Bashar al‑Assad in December 2024, when rebel forces seized control of major opposition strongholds. Interim President Ahmed al‑Sharaa has struggled to extend control over the entire nation and restore security.
Armed groups from the Alawite and Druze communities have been involved in sectarian clashes, threatening to destabilise an already fragile political landscape. The international community watches closely as Syria attempts to navigate a post‑war reality fraught with uncertainty.
