BBC News, Arabic Go to content Main Watch Listen Main Sections News Economy Health and Science Culture and Arts 2026 World Cup Investigations News Economy Health and Science Culture and Arts 2026 World Cup Investigations Casualties in Explosion Targeting Café in Damascus, Authorities Promise to Punish Perpetrators Image source, MOHAMED AL RIFAI/EPA/Shutterstock
At least nine people were killed and 22 others injured in an explosion of an explosive device that was planted inside a café on Al-Nasr Street near the Court of Cassation in Damascus yesterday afternoon.
No group has claimed responsibility for the explosion, which is the deadliest in Damascus since a suicide bombing targeted a church in Al-Dweila neighborhood a year ago that resulted in 25 deaths.
The Syrian Ministry of Interior said that the initial procedures and investigations revealed that the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device weighing about one kilogram, equipped with metallic shrapnel, leading to severe injuries and major damage to the site.
The ministry added in a statement that it has imposed a security cordon around the site of the explosion following its occurrence, and that evidence collection teams in the Criminal Investigation Department began their work immediately after the explosion, collecting forensic evidence, reviewing surveillance camera recordings, and taking statements from witnesses and individuals present in the vicinity of the incident, as part of the investigations aimed at uncovering the circumstances of the crime, and identifying the perpetrators and anyone behind it.
The ministry stressed that the perpetrators of this terrorist act, and all those involved, will be pursued and brought to justice, and no one involved will escape accountability, emphasizing that state institutions are proceeding with their duty to protect the security and stability of citizens.
Damascus governor, Maher Mroue Edlibi, told reporters near the Court of Cassation: "This case will not be recorded as an unknown case, and God willing, those who tampered with this blood will be punished."
The governor also said, during his inspection of the explosion site, that "Syria is recovering, and this recovery is rising in various fields, and the aim of this explosion is to confuse."
Syrian news channel Ikhbariya quoted a security source as saying that reports of a suicide operation leading to the explosion in Damascus are incorrect.
A reporter from Agence France-Presse saw ambulances rushing to the site that was cordoned off by security forces, amid panic and chaos following the explosion that occurred during peak hours in a crowded area, and added that the ambulances struggled to make their way through the congested street due to the traffic.
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A person nearby the explosion site told the "Middle East Diaries" program, which is broadcasted on BBC Arabic Radio: "I heard a very loud explosion, and immediately afterwards I went to the explosion area very close to the Court of Cassation. I tried to reach there, but unfortunately I couldn't because the security forces imposed a security cordon and prevented people from approaching the explosion site."
Nawar Khayyat, 40, who owns a solar battery shop opposite the Court of Cassation, told AFP, "Around three o’clock (12:00 GMT), I heard a loud bang and the front of the shop shook, while people rushed to the café and started calling for ambulances."
Mohammad Al-Dhahabi, who owns a glasses store adjacent to the café, while shaking as he sat on a chair, told AFP, "Following the bang of the explosion, I felt a strong pressure, then the place shook."
He continued: "I ran to the place and saw people lying on the ground and blood everywhere," a scene he said reminded him of "the explosions that Damascus witnessed" during years of conflict.
The explosion poses a challenge to the authorities that have worked in recent months to rebuild security and military institutions, and to largely extend their authority and maintain security across the country, after facing major challenges in their first year in power, most notably violent acts with sectarian backgrounds.