At least 20 individuals were killed and over 50 injured when a suicide bomber attacked the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Dweilaa, a Christian-dominated district in Damascus, Syria, during Sunday mass. The bomber, identified by Syrian authorities as a member of the Islamic State (IS), opened fire on worshippers before detonating his explosive vest inside the crowded church. This is the first large-scale suicide bombing in Damascus since President Bashar al-Assad's fall in December, after a months-long insurgency by Islamist rebels. The rare and crippling attack has also raised fresh concerns about Islamic State sleeper cells in the Syrian capital, even after years of counterterrorism campaigns.

Bloodshed During Worship: IS Targets Church During Sunday Mass

The suicide bomber entered the Mar Elias Church between a crowded congregation, began firing at the worshipers, and then detonated his explosive, resulting in mass fatalities and extensive damage. Video shared live by Syria's White Helmets civil defense agency depicted blood-splattered floors, broken pews, and debris-filled icons within the church. As per a security official, a second attacker is suspected to have been involved, although only one is shown to be dead. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring organisation in the UK stated that casualties could grow, based on the fact that most of the 53 injured victims are critical.

President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who took office in January as part of a transitional government, denounced the attack and vowed to take quick action. He has also made commitments in the past to defend Syria's religious minorities, including Christians, Alawites, and Druze. Interior security head Hamzah Al-Mustafa called the blast an act of "cowardly terrorism" and promised to "preserve national unity and defeat extremist forces that terrorise public safety." The area has been cordoned off by security forces as emergency units treat the injured and hunt for suspected accomplices.

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 People and civil defence members inspect the damage after a blast rocked the Mar Elias Church | cREDIT: Reuters

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International Outrage and Sparks Fear Among Minority Groups

Greek Foreign Ministry denounced the attack as an "abhorrent terrorist act" and appealed to Syria's government to provide security for Christian communities and other religious minorities. The bombing is a repetition of past Islamic State attacks against minority groups in Syria, such as the 2016 bombing in Sayeda Zainab targeting Shiite pilgrims, which was one of the most lethal attacks under Assad's regime.

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Although the Islamic State lost ground in Syria and Iraq, Sunday's attack shows the group's continued capacity to take advantage of security loopholes and create chaos. It also raises concerns that IS militants are regrouping under the cover of post-conflict instability in the region. This is the first successful bombing of a church since the conflict started, reigniting fears among the Christian community and other minority groups.

With inputs from agencies.