The bombing took place in Dweila’s Saint Elias church, where Christians had gathered for their Sunday prayer, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) confirmed to The New Region, adding that at the time of the bomb’s detonation, the church was “crowded”.

 

"I condemn the heinous terrorist attack on the Mar Elias Church in Damascus,” Erdogan said.

 

The Turkish president added that they would "never allow our neighbour and brother Syria... be dragged into a new environment of instability through proxy terrorist organisations."

 

Erdogan said Ankara would throw its full support the new Damascus authorities to fight against the radical groups.

 

"We stand by the Syrian people and government against this vile terrorist act that targets the peace and security of Syria, its internal peace and culture of living together, and the stability of our region,” he reiterated.

Over a decade of civil war and the subsequent rise of the Islamic State (ISIS) has made Syria a hub for extremism.

 

Despite the territorial defeat of ISIS in 2019, the country is still home to many sympathizers of the extremist group and holds thousands of family members of ISIS militants in camps. 

 

Millions of Christians, Druze, Alawites and Kurds live in Syria in addition to Arab Sunnis, The ethnic and religious diversity of Syria presents several targets for extremist ideologies. 

 

The country has been in a transitional period since late 2024, when an offensive led by the Islamist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) freed the country of the tyrannical rule of ousted President Bashar al-Assad.