A suicide bomber struck the Mar Elias Church in Damascus during services on Sunday, resulting in at least 20 deaths and 53 injuries.
The Syrian Health Ministry claimed the attack was carried out by Islamic State (IS) militants, who opened fire on churchgoers before detonating explosives. However, a priest at the scene reported that two attackers had opened fire outside the church before entering and detonating their explosive belts.
Graphic footage of the damage, including mangled bodies and pools of blood, has circulated online, highlighting the devastation caused by the attack. Eyewitnesses described chaos as cars and ambulances arrived at the scene, with many victims reportedly trapped inside the church.
Meanwhile, the Syrian Interior Ministry attributed the attack to IS, though the priest at the church provided a conflicting account, stating that there were two attackers who opened fire outside before entering and detonating their belts. The incident has sparked renewed concerns about the safety of religious sites in Syria, which have long been targets of extremist violence. The attack comes amid ongoing conflict in the region, with multiple factions vying for control and escalating violence in various parts of the country. The Syrian government has condemned the attack, calling it an act of terrorism, while international condemnation has followed, with calls for an end to the ongoing violence in Syria.