Mosque bombing in Syria leaves 8 dead and 18 wounded

A bombing at a mosque in the Syrian city of Homs killed at least eight people and wounded 18 others during Friday prayers, authorities reported. The attack on the Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib Mosque represents the latest violence in Syria’s ongoing sectarian tensions, which persist despite reduced large-scale fighting.

Images released by Syria’s state-run Arab News Agency showed blood-stained carpets, damaged walls, broken windows, and fire damage throughout the religious facility. The mosque is located in the Wadi al-Dhahab neighborhood, an area predominantly populated by Syria’s Alawite minority.

According to SANA, which cited security sources, preliminary investigations indicate explosives were planted inside the mosque. Syrian authorities have established a security perimeter around the building while searching for the perpetrators, who have not been officially identified.

A little-known group called Saraya Ansar al-Sunna claimed responsibility through a statement posted on Telegram. This same organization previously claimed a June suicide attack at a Greek Orthodox church near Damascus that killed 25 worshippers. The Syrian government had attributed that church attack to Islamic State cells, though IS never claimed responsibility.

“The explosion was huge,” the mosque’s deputy imam told Syria’s state-run Al-Ikhbariyah television. “It shattered the mosque’s windows and caused a fire that burned copies of the Holy Quran. Those of us who were not wounded rushed to help get the injured out.”

Syria has recently joined the global coalition against Islamic State and intensified its crackdown on IS cells. This heightened focus follows an attack earlier this month on U.S. forces that killed two service members and a civilian translator.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “unequivocally condemns the deadly terrorist attack” and emphasized that those responsible must face justice, according to U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric. Guterres also acknowledged Syria’s commitment to combat terrorism.

The bombing occurs against a backdrop of significant political change in Syria. Since President Bashar Assad, an Alawite himself, fled to Russia last year, members of the Alawite sect have faced increasing violence. In March, an ambush by Assad supporters against security forces triggered days of violence that left hundreds dead, primarily Alawites.

The Supreme Alawite Islamic Council in Syria and the Diaspora described Friday’s attack as “a continuation of the organized extremist terrorism specifically targeting the Alawite community, and increasingly other Syrian groups as well.” The council held the Syrian government “fully and directly responsible for these crimes,” adding ominously that “these criminal acts will not go unanswered.”

Syrian officials condemned the bombing, framing it as a deliberate attempt to destabilize the country. “Syria reiterates its firm stance in combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated. The information minister suggested that “remnants of the former regime, IS militants and collaborators have converged on a single goal: obstructing the path of the new state.”

Regional neighbors including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Lebanon joined in condemning the attack. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun reaffirmed “Lebanon’s support for Syria in its fight against terrorism.”

The mosque bombing is not the only instance of recent violence in Syria. Separate clashes erupted this week between Syrian government forces and Kurdish-led fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces in mixed neighborhoods of Aleppo. These confrontations forced temporary school closures and drove civilians to seek shelter indoors.

Tensions flared again on Friday in Aleppo, with government security forces and Kurdish fighters trading accusations. Colonel Mohammad Abdul Ghani, head of internal security in Aleppo province, claimed SDF snipers fired on a Ministry of Interior checkpoint, wounding an officer. The SDF countered that government-affiliated factions targeted Kurdish checkpoints with rocket-propelled grenades.

These ongoing incidents demonstrate how Syria’s complex web of sectarian, ethnic and political divisions continues to fuel violence across the country, even as large-scale civil war has diminished in intensity. The targeted bombing of the Alawite mosque highlights the particularly dangerous sectarian dimension that threatens Syria’s already fragile stability.