An explosion occurred in a church in Damascus on 22 June, international media reported. According to the local SANA news agency, citing the Syrian Ministry of Health, 20 people were killed.
According to reports, a man entered a church at a monastery in the Dweila neighbourhood during a service, opened fire on the congregation before blowing himself up. The Syrian Health Ministry also reports 52 wounded.
Syria’s Interior Ministry said the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber linked to the ISIS organisation. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
SANA adds that the neighbourhood where the monastery is located has been cordoned off and the authorities said an investigation is ongoing.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhiy commented on the incident, saying that “such violence has no justification”:
“Our condolences to the families of the victims and to the Syrian people, who have endured enough violence in recent years and deserve a normal life and security. We wish the injured a speedy recovery.”
The blast was the first suicide attack in Damascus since Bashar al-Assad’s regime was toppled in December 2024.