A bomb planted inside a busy cafe in central Damascus killed nine people and wounded 20 on Thursday in the deadliest attack on the Syrian capital since a church bombing killed 25 people in June 2025, drawing swift condemnations from across the Arab world and beyond.
The explosion struck at approximately 3pm local time at a cafe on al-Nasser Street in the al-Hijaz district, roughly 100 metres from the entrance of the Palace of Justice. Syrian state television confirmed the device was a crudely made explosive of about one kilogram, packed with metal shrapnel and planted inside the cafe before detonation. No group immediately claimed responsibility.
Syrian Interior Ministry officials said investigations were under way using government and private surveillance cameras.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government, which has been seeking to stabilise the country since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, condemned the attack. Damascus Governor Maher Marwan vowed that perpetrators would be held to account.
Regional solidarity came swiftly. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry condemned the blast in the strongest terms, pledging continued support for Syria’s security. Iraq called it a terrorist bombing and expressed full solidarity with Damascus. Egypt, Qatar and Jordan all issued similar statements rejecting violence aimed at undermining Syria’s transition. The Arab League and the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council jointly condemned what they described as a cowardly terrorist attack against Syrian civilians.
The blast follows a May car bombing near Damascus’s Bab Sharqi district and a series of security incidents since the new government took power. Officials suspect Islamic State involvement, citing concerns that the group is trying to reactivate sleeper cells and exploit Syria’s fragile transition.
