Damascus: Eight people were killed and 18 others injured in an explosion at an Alawite mosque in the Syrian city of Homs, state media reported. Officials said the casualty figures could rise.
The blast occurred inside the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib mosque during Friday noon prayers, Syrian authorities said. Security forces quickly cordoned off the area, and footage released by state media showed rescuers and personnel examining debris scattered across the mosque’s green carpet.
An ultra-conservative Sunni group, Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah, claimed responsibility for the attack on its Telegram channels. The group previously carried out a suicide bombing at a Damascus church in June that killed 20 people.
دانت وزارة الخارجية وشؤون المغتربين الانفجار الإرهابي الذي وقع في مسجد الإمام علي بن أبي طالب بمدينة حمص في الجمهورية العربية السورية الشقيقة، ما أسفر عن عدد من الضحايا والمصابين.
وأكّد الناطق الرسمي باسم الوزارة السفير فؤاد المجالي تضامن المملكة الكامل مع حكومة وشعب الجمهورية… pic.twitter.com/o5S64ijTwt
— وزارة الخارجية وشؤون المغتربين الأردنية (@ForeignMinistry) December 26, 2025
The Supreme Alawite Islamic Council, which represents Alawites in Syria and abroad, condemned what it called a systematic campaign of killings, forced displacement, detentions, and incitement against the community over the past year. It accused Damascus authorities of bearing responsibility and warned that continued attacks could push the country toward collapse.
Syria’s Foreign Ministry also condemned the explosion as a ‘terrorist crime,’ while regional countries, including Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Qatar, issued statements denouncing the attack.
Sectarian violence has surged in Syria since Bashar al-Assad, an Alawite, was ousted by a rebel offensive last year and replaced by a government led by members of the Sunni Muslim majority. Earlier this month, two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed in central Syria by a suspected Islamic State attacker.
