Suicide bombing in Damascus church kills at least 15: 'worst nightmare for Syrian Christians'

The oldest Christian population on Earth continues to be under threat of extinction, after the US-Gulf-Israel war of regime change in Syria, and former President Bashar al-Assad’s overthrow on December 8 of last year.

On Sunday, a suicide bomber entered St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Church and detonated while a service was happening, killing at least fifteen – according to early reports – and leaving many more wounded. The church is now a bloody mess, and personnel at the scene have struggled to identify body parts.

Source: Hussam Hammoud/X

The church is in an ancient Christian neighborhood that lies outside the Damascus old city’s Bab Sharqi, and is in an area of many churches, chapels, and Christian cemeteries.

Some initial reports said it may have been a car bomb, but regional sources as well as the popular regional account War Monitor indicate that „A suicide bomber blew himself up with an explosive belt inside the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Elias in the Douileh area of ​​Damascus, Syria.”

And Reuters notes that „It was the first suicide bombing in Damascus since Bashar al-Assad was toppled by an Islamist-led rebel insurgency in December.” Reuters says at least 20 people were killed and dozens more injured, amid conflicting emergency response reports.

A Middle East church source, Syriac Press, describes:

According to eyewitness reports, a gunman wearing an explosive vest stormed the church and opening fire. He then detonated his explosive vest.

The attack prompted immediate intervention by civil defense teams and medical personnel. Victims were evacuated to hospitals in Daramsuq, where an alert was issued to handle the influx of injured. Ambulance teams worked to secure the area while local security forces cordoned off the site, blocking neighborhood entrances as a precaution against potential further attacks.

The Church of Mar Elias, a prominent Christian landmark in the region, holds significant spiritual and historical value for the local community.

Journalist Hussam Hammoud, reporting from the scene, described in the aftermath that „Many of the victims are civilians and children, and security forces prevent journalists from entering the site.”

Worst nightmare for Syrian Christians begins: Suicide bombing today during Divine Liturgy at Mar Elias church.. just outside of Bab Sharqi near Old Damascus. At least 15 dead & rising.

My-father-in-law’s funeral/memorial was here many years ago. Been to this beautiful community… https://t.co/hAMZbBarX8

— Brad Hoff (@BradRHoff) June 22, 2025

Years ago, during the height of the anti-Assad insurgency, this all-Christian neighborhood of Damascus was on the front line of conflict as it is next to Jobar district, which was at the time occupied by al-Qaeda. That was a period of sporadic artillery fire launched indiscriminately on the oldest Christian parts of the Syrian capital.

The Baathist government of Assad was quasi-secular and protected the region’s Christians, as well as other religious 'minorities’. Christian leaders have feared that since Jolani and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s (HTS) takeover, they no longer have protection, and it could become 'open season’ on attacking churches. Hundreds of thousands of Syrian Christians with means have left their homeland after some 14 years of brutal war.

There are concerns that HTS security forces may be interfering with the crime scene.
They encircled St. Elias Church shortly after the attack.
We urgently need international investigators on the ground — with the support of Greece and Cyprus — to ensure transparency and justice. pic.twitter.com/H1lN7Y8sZO

— Greco-Levantines World Wide (@GrecoLevantines) June 22, 2025

President Trump recently lifted sanctions on Syria, but did absolutely nothing to protect the Syrian Christians – or Druze and Alawites for that matter, who have been massacred in large numbers lately, especially along the coast near Latakia.

Back in 2015 when a jihadist coalition, with Western support, took over Idlib province – one of the first acts of the bearded so-called 'liberators’ was to execute Christians and kidnap an Orthodox Christian priest. A recent book, Syria Crucified: Stories of Modern Martyrdom in an Ancient Christian Land, has recounted the story of how Idlib’s ancient Christian community was wiped out.