A bomb detonated inside a crowded café in central Damascus on Thursday, killing six people and injuring 22, according to Syrian state media.
The interior ministry said the explosive device was planted inside the café, located a mere 100 m (330 ft) from the Palace of Justice in the Hejaz district.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. It compounds a series of deadly incidents in Damascus that have intensified since the end of the civil war in December 2024, when Assad’s forces seized control and new President Ahmed al‑Sharaa stepped in.
The bombing was the deadliest in Damascus since a suicide strike on a church in June 2025 that killed 25 people. That earlier attack was allegedly carried out by the shadowy jihadist group Saraya Ansar al‑Sunnah, while officials blame the Islamic State for the current incident.
Mohammed al‑Dahabi, the owner of a nearby glasses shop, described the blast as reminiscent of wartime violence: \"I felt strong pressure, and the whole place shook. I ran to the scene and saw people lying on the floor with blood everywhere.\"
Graphic footage posted on social media showed men lying motionless on the café’s outdoor terrace. Governor Maher Marwan Idlibi visited the scene and pledged that those responsible would be punished, warning that \"each time the country sees a period of stability, malicious parties try to destabilise it.\"
The attack highlights the persistent sectarian tensions between government forces and members of Syria’s Alawite and Druze religious minorities, as well as the broader challenge of restoring lasting security in the post‑war era.
