Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah Bombs Alawite Mosque in Homs, Massacres Eight Worshippers

On Dec. 26 a powerful explosion tore through the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib mosque in the Wadi al‑Dhahab neighbourhood of Homs during Friday prayers.

“A bombing at a mosque in Homs, Syria, during Friday prayers has killed at least eight people and wounded 18 others IDLIB, Syria --A bombing at a mosque in the Syrian city of Homs during Friday prayers killed at least eight people and wounded 18 others, authorities said, as long-standing sectarian, ethnic and political fault lines continue to destabilize the country, even as large-scale fighting has subsided”

ABC News

The blast killed at least eight worshippers and wounded roughly 18–21 people, according to state media and multiple reporting outlets.

ABC News

State news agency SANA and health officials are cited across reports.

SANA, quoted by several outlets, said preliminary investigations indicate explosive devices were placed inside the mosque and the Interior Ministry called it a 'terrorist explosion'.

A little-known group calling itself Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah claimed responsibility on Telegram.

Authorities and some monitors said investigations are ongoing and perpetrators have not been definitively named.

Witnesses, state images and local reporting describe heavy interior damage, panic and an immediate emergency response.

Photographs and footage shared by state outlets showed blood-stained carpets, holes blown through walls, shattered windows, and smoke or fire damage, and rescuers carrying the wounded to ambulances.

ABP Live English

Several outlets also describe a fire that burned copies of the Qur'an and worshippers knocked to the floor by a loud blast; authorities sealed off the scene and specialized teams began collecting evidence.

Local hospitals received casualties, and officials warned that figures could be preliminary and may rise.

A claim of responsibility circulated on Telegram from a group calling itself Saraya Ansar al‑Sunnah, and the group’s message and previous claims, including a June church suicide bombing, were repeatedly noted across outlets.

“Syria’s foreign ministry condemned the attack as a ‘desperate attempt to undermine security and sow chaos’”

Al Jazeera

Some reports quoted the group saying it "detonated a number of explosive devices," while analysts and international outlets described the group as obscure and possibly linked to or operating like Islamic State remnants, with some observers calling it a front or a closely affiliated cell.

At the same time, Syrian officials publicly blamed "remnants of the former regime, ISIS militants and collaborators," creating competing narratives about who benefits and who carried out the attack.

Syrian authorities, local Alawite leaders and regional capitals reacted strongly to the bombing.

Damascus labelled the bombing a "terrorist crime", while the Interior Ministry and information officials blamed "remnants of the former regime, IS militants and collaborators."

Al-Jazeera Net

The Supreme Alawite Islamic Council accused the government of enabling an "organized extremist terrorism" campaign against Alawites.

Several neighbouring states and international figures condemned the attack.

Some reports said UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged that those responsible be brought to justice.

The incident intensified calls for tougher security measures and fed political blame-casting at home and abroad.

Reporting places the mosque bombing in a broader, tense context.

“Friday, December 26th|7 Tevet 5786 Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron after a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, May 7, 2025”

Algemeiner

Outlets across source types describe renewed sectarian violence since Bashar al-Assad’s fall last year.

Algemeiner

They report earlier massacres in Alawite coastal areas.

They also note ongoing low-level IS-linked attacks and clashes between government and Kurdish-led forces.

Analysts warn the attack could inflame sectarian tensions and complicate stabilization.

They say it could be used to justify further security crackdowns or retaliatory violence.

Interpretations vary in tone depending on whether outlets emphasize official rhetoric, analyst caution, or local community alarm.