Bomb Explodes in Damascus Café, Killing Six and Wounding 22

Six people were killed and 22 injured after a bomb detonated in a crowded café in central Damascus, state‑run media reported on Thursday.

The explosion occurred less than 100 metres from the Palace of Justice, a key government complex in the city’s Hejaz district, according to the Interior Ministry. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

The incident is the deadliest in Damascus since the suicide attack that hit a church in June 2025, which killed 25 people. Earlier that year a shadowy jihadist group, Saraya Ansar al‑Sunnah, was blamed for that bombing, while the authorities cited the Islamic State.

Mohammed al‑Dahabi, owner of a nearby glasses shop, described the blast as “reminiscent of the civil war.” He recalled seeing people “lying on the floor with blood pooled everywhere.” AFP quoted him saying that the café’s terrace “shook” and left a “graphic” scene.

During a visit to the scene, Damascus Governor Maher Marwan Idlibi vowed that those responsible would be punished, warning that “malicious parties ... try to destabilise it whenever stability is seen.”

The attack follows a string of deadly incidents in the capital since the December 2024 overthrow of “Bashar al‑Assad” and the end of a 13‑year civil war. Since Interim President Ahmed al‑Sharaa took office, he has struggled to consolidate control and restore security, while sectarian clashes between government forces and members of Alawite, Druze and other minorities persist.