Explosive Device Detonates in Damascus Cafe, Killing At Least Nine and Wounding 20

An explosive device detonated Thursday in a popular cafe in Damascus, killing at least nine people and leaving 20 others wounded, according to Syria’s Health Ministry and Syria’s state-run Al-Ikhbariya network.

“Explosion at central Damascus cafe kills 5, injures 16 Five people were killed and 16 others wounded on Thursday in an explosion inside a cafe in central Damascus, Syrian authorities said”

@globaltimesnews

The blast struck near the main courthouse complex and was 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, according to Syrian state media and Al Jazeera’s reporting.

@globaltimesnews

Syria’s Interior Ministry said the explosive was a “crude improvised explosive device weighing approximately one kilogram equipped with metal shrapnel,” and investigators said they were reviewing security camera footage, collecting forensic evidence and interviewing witnesses.

Jalal Aljanani, who owns a restaurant next door, told The Associated Press that “We carried the victims to the cars until the traffic police arrived,” describing bodies on the floor and blood on his shirt.

Al Jazeera’s Milad Fadl said residents gave first aid to the injured until ambulances arrived, while security forces initially cordoned off the area fearing a secondary explosion.

Syria’s Interior Ministry said in a statement that the perpetrators of the attack would be brought to justice, adding, “The perpetrators of this terrorist act and those behind it will be brought to justice, and no one involved will escape accountability,” as security forces investigated.

Al Jazeera’s Milad Fadl said, “Traces of blood are all over the ground; the Interior Ministry is trying to gather evidence to see who is responsible,” describing the scene as investigators worked.

Al Jazeera

Fadl reported that security forces were also seeking to uncover sleeper cells operating in the country, and he quoted a claim that “There are parties who do not want stability in Syria and so will, from time to time, conduct operations like this.”

Damascus Governor Maher Marwan told reporters near the site that “The more Syria attains stability, the more there are those who want to damage it,” while Obaida Hitto said official government sources warned the death toll could increase.

The Associated Press reported that no group immediately claimed responsibility, and it described ambulances rushing to hospitals in the Syrian capital after security forces cordoned off the area.

The attack landed as Syria’s new rulers, who took power in a lightning insurgency in December 2024, have cracked down on militants from the extremist Islamic State group in an attempt to thwart attacks in and around the capital, the Associated Press reported.

“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

AP also noted that Syria’s President Ahmad al-Sharaa led the Hayat Tahrir al Sham group formerly affiliated with al-Qaida, and it said he “has vowed to protect Syrians of all backgrounds, especially religious and ethnic minorities.”

Al Jazeera reported that the Palace of Justice, about 40 metres (131 feet) away from the cafe, has held trials for high-profile members of the former al-Assad government, and it said this week Syria’s former grand mufti, Ahmad Badr al-Aldin Hassoun, stood trial there.

In a separate reaction, Türkiye condemned the bombing and framed it as an attempt to destabilize Syria, with its foreign ministry saying the “best response to such attempts, which aim to undermine the progress made toward establishing sustainable stability and security in Syria and to disrupt social peace, will once again be given by the Syrian people by preserving their unity and solidarity.”

With investigations underway and no perpetrator identified, the explosion added to concerns about security in Damascus as Al Jazeera reported the area was busy due to trials and nearby marketplaces when the blast took place.