Explosion at Damascus Cafe Kills At Least Nine, Syria’s Ministry of Health Says

An explosion at a cafe in central Damascus killed at least nine people and injured 20 others, according to Syria’s Ministry of Health, with the blast reported at around 3:24pm local time (12:24 GMT) on Thursday inside a cafe on al-Nasser Street in the al-Marjah district, close to the Palace of Justice.

Syrian state television said the blast was caused by an explosive device planted in the location, and security forces initially cordoned off the area fearing a secondary explosion.

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Al Jazeera’s Syria correspondent Milad Fadl said, “Traces of blood are all over the ground; the Interior Ministry is trying to gather evidence to see who is responsible,” as residents gave first aid until ambulances arrived.

Euronews reported that the bomb went off near the capital’s Palace of Justice and killed at least six people and wounded 22, citing Syrian authorities’ figures that differed from the nine-death toll described by other outlets.

Nour Khayyat, 40, who owns a shop selling batteries for solar panels near the site, told AFP that “at about 3:00 pm I heard a powerful blast and the storefront shook,” describing how people rushed to the cafe and called ambulances.

Mohammed al-Zahabi, the owner of a glasses shop next to the targeted cafe, told AFP that “after the blast, I felt strong pressure, and the whole place shook,” and said he ran to the place and saw people lying on the floor with blood pooled around them everywhere.

Al Jazeera

Damascus Governor Maher Marwan said the security situation in the capital has improved in recent months but “The more Syria attains stability, the more there are those who want to damage it,” adding that the coming hours would reveal everything.

The UN’s deputy special envoy for Syria, Claudio Cordone, said on X that the perpetrators “should be brought to justice,” while Turkey condemned the attack and vowed to “maintain its solidarity with Syria throughout this process,” according to a foreign ministry statement.

The blast landed in a capital area busy due to trials and nearby marketplaces, with Al Jazeera reporting that the Palace of Justice has held trials for high-profile members of the former al-Assad government and that this week Syria’s former grand mufti, Ahmad Badr al-Aldin Hassoun, stood trial there.

“An explosion at a cafe in central Damascus has killed at least nine people and injured 20 others, according to Syria’s Ministry of Health”

Al Jazeera

Euronews linked the timing to the political transition, saying the explosion came a day after the first parliament since the fall of Bashar al-Assad began to take shape, with Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa announcing 70 legislators who would join the 140 chosen in elections over the past eight months.

DW reported that Colonel Mohammad Khait of Damascus's Internal Security Forces told state television that the blast was caused by an explosive device planted inside the cafe, and said the attack was the deadliest in Damascus since the suicide bombing targeting a church in the al-Duwaila neighborhood a year ago that killed 25 people.

France 24 reported that Damascus governor Maher Eldibi said an investigation had been launched and that “Those responsible for this bloodshed will be punished,” while the outlet also said the blast was not immediately claimed, leaving Syria’s Islamist leaders facing another security challenge as they seek to stabilise the country.