22 dead, 63 injured in an alleged Islamic State attack against the Syrian Church

The Islamic State is said to be the source of a deadly suicide bombardment that occurred Sunday in a Greek Orthodox church in Syria.

At least 22 people were killed and 63 others were injured in the attack on Mar Elias church in Dweil’a – on the outskirts of Damascus. He would have started while people were praying. The author first opened fire on the faithful, before blowing himself up.

Although no group immediately claimed the responsibility for the attack on the mass casual, the spokesman for the Syrian Interior Ministry Nourreddine al-Baba suggested that the Islamic State suggested a probable culprit following a preliminary investigation.

“The security of places of worship is a red line,” said al-Baba, affecting the Islamic State and what remains of the former government of the Ba’athist Bashar al-Assad dictator as an actor trying to destabilize Syria.

Suicide bomber strikes the Syrian church near Damascus during mass

Syrian citizens and security forces inspect the damage within the church of Mar Elias where a suicide bomber exploded in Dweil’a on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP photo / Omar Sanadiki)

The country’s foreign ministry echoes al-Baba, describing the attack as “a desperate attempt to undermine national coexistence and destabilize the country”.

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The attack comes in the middle of an increased political disorder period in the notoriously volatile Middle East – less than 24 hours after the launch of air strikes on three of the best nuclear installations in Iran. Israel has launched a series of similar attacks, including attacks on the Iranian capital, Tehran, in the previous weeks.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.