Deadly Explosion Hits Mosque During Friday Prayers in Syria’s Homs

AP

Syrian security forces inspect the damage after an explosion in the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in a predominantly Alawite area of the Wadi al-Dhahab neighbourhood in Homs, Syria.

At least eight people were killed in an explosion at the Imam Ali Bin Abi Talib Mosque, an Alawite-majority site in Homs, on Friday, Syrian state news agency SANA reported.

Images released by Syria’s state-run news agency, SANA, showed extensive damage inside the Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib Mosque, including charred walls, shattered windows and bloodstained carpets.

Officials believe an explosive device was detonated inside the building, SANA reported, citing a security source. While investigations are ongoing and the perpetrators are being sought, the jihadist group Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The mosque is located in the Wadi al-Dhahab neighbourhood, an area predominantly inhabited by members of the Alawite ethno-religious community.

Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned what it described as a “terrorist crime”, stating in a post on X that the “cowardly act constitutes a blatant assault on human and moral values” and was intended to undermine the country’s security and stability.

Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah, a Sunni extremist group, said the attack was carried out in coordination with another unidentified group, using explosives planted at the site.

The group’s unclear origins and opaque affiliations have raised questions about its authenticity and possible links. It first came to wider attention in June, when it claimed responsibility for a deadly church bombing in Damascus. Some observers have suggested it may be a front for the Islamic State (IS) group, citing similarities in rhetoric and targeting patterns.

The latest claim follows a months-long lull in attacks attributed to Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah, which have largely consisted of alleged targeted killings of minority groups and individuals the organisation describes as “remnants” of the former government of Bashar al-Assad.

The explosion comes one year after Syrian rebel forces overthrew Assad, who is Alawite. The Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shia Islam, constitutes one of Syria’s largest religious minorities.

Since Assad’s removal, Syria has experienced repeated waves of sectarian violence, with Alawite communities fearing reprisals and facing security crackdowns. Assad fled to Russia, a long-standing ally, where he and his family were granted asylum.

In March, Syrian security forces were accused of killing dozens of Alawites in the coastal province of Latakia, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

Source: FRANCE 24 with Reuters and AFP, BBC



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