Share this @internewscast.comFacebookXRedditPinterestAt least 25 individuals lost their lives, and more than 52 others were injured in a 鈥渢errorist attack鈥 at a Greek Orthodox church in Syria鈥檚 capital on Monday, according to the health ministry.茂禄驴
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the assault, but Syria鈥檚 Ministry of Interior Affairs reported to CNN that it was orchestrated by a 鈥渟uicide bomber linked to the terrorist group ISIS.鈥
The attacker opened fire on the Mar Elias Church congregation in Damascus before 鈥渄etonating an explosive vest,鈥 the ministry explained in a statement.
At least 25 people have been killed and over 52 more are injured after a 鈥渢errorist attack鈥 on a Greek Orthodox church in the Syrian capital on Monday (Sunday local time), according to the country鈥檚 health ministry.茂禄驴 (CNN)
A mass was being held at the church at the time of the attack, according to Syria鈥檚 state news agency SANA.
A video circulating on Syrian social media from inside the church shows dead bodies, significant destruction, shattered glass and broken chairs in the area where mass was being held, with blood visible throughout the scene.
It鈥檚 the first attack 茂禄驴like it in Damascus since the Islamist-led rebel forces overthrew the Bashar al-Assad regime in December, ending a 13-year civil war which devastated the country, BBC reports.
Syria鈥檚 civil defence, popularly known as the White Helmets, said emergency teams were working to transfer the bodies to hospitals and secure the area.
鈥淭he treacherous hand of evil struck鈥 on Sunday, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch said in a statement.
At least 25 people have been killed and over 52 more are injured after a 鈥渢errorist attack鈥 on a Greek Orthodox church in the Syrian capital on Monday (Sunday local time), according to the country鈥檚 health ministry.茂禄驴 (CNN)
It wrote that 鈥渁n explosion occurred at the entrance of the church, resulting in the deaths of numerous martyrs and causing injuries to many others who were inside the church or in its immediate vicinity.鈥
鈥淲e offer our prayers for the repose of the souls of the martyrs, for the healing of the wounded, and for the consolation of our grieving faithful.
鈥淲e reaffirm our unwavering commitment to our faith and, through that steadfastness, our rejection of all fear and intimidation,鈥 the church said.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told the interim Syrian government it 鈥渕ust take concrete measures to protect all ethnic and religious minorities鈥 within the country.茂禄驴
Syria鈥檚 interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has promised he would protect all religions in the country since he took power; however, the nation has been hit by two waves of deadly and violent outbreaks since, not including yesterday鈥檚 bombing.
Ahmed al-Sharaa is a former al-Qaeda affiliate who was part of the Sunni Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). The group is recognised as a terrorist organisation by the UN, US and UK.
Ahmed al-Sharaa is a former al-Qaeda affiliate who was part of the Sunni Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (Getty)
The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Geir O. Pedersen, expressed 鈥渙utrage鈥 at the 鈥渉einous crime,鈥 his office said in a statement.
鈥淢r Pedersen calls on all to unite in rejecting terrorism, extremism, incitement and the targeting of any community in Syria,鈥 the statement said.
鈥淗e sends his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and his hope for the recovery of those injured.鈥
The United States鈥 Special Envoy for Syria, Thomas Barrack, called the attack an act of 鈥渃owardice,鈥 saying in a statement that it has 鈥渘o place in the new tapestry of integrated tolerance and inclusion that Syrians are weaving.鈥澝宦
The foreign ministries of Turkey, Jordan, Iraq, Israel, Greece, Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Palestinian Authority, Yemen, Oman, Bahrain, Ukraine, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands also spoke out in condemnation of the attack.
The civil war in Syria has made it hard to report on the exact numbers of Greek Orthodox followers living in the country.
The community is the biggest of the Christian denominations in Syria, with an estimated number of followers believed to be in the several hundreds of thousands.