At least 22 people were killed and 63 others injured in a terrorist attack at a church in the Syrian capital of Damascus on Sunday 22 June.
A man opened fire during a church service in the Dweila area of the city before detonating an explosive vest.
The Syrian government confirmed that the suicide bomber was affiliated to Islamic State (IS – also known as ISIS, ISIL, Daesh).
“Someone entered from outside carrying a weapon,” said one witness, adding that people “tried to stop him before he blew himself up”.
Anas Khattab, Syrian Minister of the Interior, denounced the attack as a “reprehensible crime”.
“These terrorist acts will not stop the efforts of the Syrian state in achieving civil peace,” he continued.
The current government of Syria, headed by interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa, came to power in December 2024 following a successful armed rebellion.
Al Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammad al Jolani, is the leader of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a designated terrorist organisation that was formerly affiliated to Al Qaeda.
When he first returned to Syria from Iraq in 2011, al Sharaa worked closely with Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, who would later declare himself the caliph of IS. After the split between IS and Al Qaeda in 2014, the HTS remained affiliated to al Qaeda.
More recently, al Sharaa has sought to present himself as a moderate, declaring, “There must be a legal framework that protects and ensures the rights of all.”
Regional experts have been tracking a surge in IS activity owing to instability since the fall of the previous government. Over this period, as many as 12 major IS plots in the country, including at least one targeting Christians, have been prevented.
Christians in Syria were left with deep concerns about sectarian tensions following the mass killings carried out in March 2025 by Sunni Islamists against Alawites in the country’s north-west.
How you can pray
Please pray for the survivors and the bereaved following this dreadful attack. Lift up in prayer the wider Christian community in Damascus and across Syria, asking the Lord to strengthen and protect them. Pray also for an end to the resurgence of IS and other Islamists in Syria, and for lasting peace and stability for God’s people and all Syrians.
