Damascus suburb bombing kills none but wounds 14 as Syria corrects initial death toll
Authorities say an explosive device planted in a minivan taxi wounded 14 people in Jaramana, revising an earlier report that two had died.
Syrian health officials said on Friday that no one was killed when a minivan taxi exploded in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana a day earlier, correcting an initial statement that two people had died. The Health Ministry explained that three severed limbs recovered from the wreckage had been mistaken for fatalities; they were later identified as belonging to patients who survived surgery. Fourteen people were wounded, three of them critically.
The blast was caused by an explosive device planted inside the vehicle, which was carrying passengers at the time. A previously unknown group calling itself Minbar Ansar al-Rasoul claimed responsibility in an online statement. Syrian authorities have not announced any arrests.
Sectarian fault lines
Jaramana is home to a large Druze community, a religious minority that has clashed with Sunni fighters aligned with the Islamist-led interim government. In April 2025 at least 10 people were killed in sectarian fighting between Druze gunmen and pro-government forces. The latest bombing is the third in just over a month, piling pressure on interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who took power in December 2024 after leading the insurgency that toppled the Assad dynasty.
Pattern of attacks
During Emmanuel Macron's visit to Damascus last month, two homemade bombs hidden in a rubbish bin and a parked car killed one person and wounded 36. Authorities arrested suspects they described as members of an Islamic State cell. Days earlier, a cafe bombing in central Damascus killed 10 and wounded around 20. The deadliest recent attack came in June 2025, when a suicide bomber struck a church, killing 25; a Sunni Islamist group claimed responsibility while officials blamed Islamic State.
Security challenge
Syria rejoined the US-led coalition against Islamic State last year. The group was largely defeated in territorial terms by 2019 but retains sleeper cells and has called for attacks on the new authorities. In a December speech marking a year since Assad's fall, al-Sharaa urged all Syrians to unify efforts to build a strong state. The recurring bombings suggest that goal remains distant.
