The explosion in Dweil’a on the outskirts of Damascus took place as people were praying during mass inside the Mar Elias Church on Sunday.
No group immediately claimed responsibility, but the Syrian Interior Ministry announced a fighter from the ISIL (ISIS) group entered the church and fired at the people there before detonating himself with an explosives vest, echoing some witness testimonies.
The death toll reported was a preliminary one.
“Rescue teams from the Syria Civil Defence continue to recover bodies from the scene,” a statement on Telegram said on Sunday.
Official state agency SANA said that at least 63 others were wounded. Some local media reported that children were among the casualties.
The attack was the first of its kind in Syria in years, and comes as the fledgling interim government led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa is trying to win the support of minorities.
As al-Sharaa struggles to exert authority across Syria, there have been concerns about the presence of sleeper cells of groups such as ISIL in the country recovering from nearly 14 years of devastating war that killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions.
Syria has made significant inroads back into the international fold since al-Sharaa the removal of President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, with both the United States and the European Union lifting sanctions.
Photos circulated by the Syria Civil Defence showed the church’s interior area in ruins, with pews covered in debris and blood.
A witness who identified himself as Rawad told The Associated Press that he saw the attacker, who was accompanied by two others who fled as he was driving near the church.
“He was shooting at the church … he then went inside the church and blew himself up,” he added.
Security forces and first responders rushed to the scene.
Panicked survivors wailed, as one woman fell to her knees and burst into tears.
Syrian Information Minister Hamza al-Mostafa condemned the blast, calling it a “terrorist” attack.
“This cowardly act goes against the civic values that bring us together,” he said in a post 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 organisations and to protect society from all attacks threatening its safety,” he added.
The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen condemned “in the strongest possible terms the terrorist attack at St. Elias Church” and expressed “his outrage at this heinous crime.” His statement also noted “that the Syrian interim authorities have attributed this attack to ISIL and (he) calls for a full investigation and action by the authorities.”
A number of countries condemned the attack, including neighbouring Turkiye, which called it “treacherous” and an attempt to disrupt efforts to achieve stability and security in Syria.
