Latest news with #MarEliasChurch
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Deadly church attack raises security fears for Syrians, minorities
Sunday's deadly attack on the Mar Elias Church in Damascus has shaken Syria, and particularly the country's Christians. The attack on Sunday killed at least 25 people, after a man with a rifle entered the church and shot at worshippers, before detonating a suicide bomb. It has raised questions about the ability of the new Syrian government to manage security in the country and protect its citizens, including those from minority groups. The Syrian Interior Ministry blamed ISIL (ISIS) for the attack, though another group called Saraya Ansar al-Sunna later claimed it. Government officials described the attack as an attempt to undermine their efforts to establish a state following the fall of longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad in December. 'Sedition is happening,' Hind Kabawat, Syria's Social and Labour Affairs minister, told Syria TV from a Damascus hospital, as she fought back tears. 'All Christians and Muslims and all Syrians need to be strong today. This is a big wound, and our pain is big.'While the target of the attack was a church – the first of its kind against a Syrian church since the fall of the al-Assad regime – it serves as a reminder of the precarious security situation the country still finds itself in, affecting all Syrians, as the government attempts to provide stability. 'It's very dangerous,' Abu Hassan, a Damascus resident, told Al Jazeera by phone. He said that he was wary of more attacks taking place as part of an attempt to sow disunity between Syria's Christians and Muslims. '[The attacks] won't disappear,' he said. 'There will be more blood. May God protect this country.' The end of the al-Assad regime, following a more than 13-year war in which hundreds of thousands died, was welcomed by most Syrians. The al-Assad dynasty – Bashar had been preceded as president by his father Hafez – had effectively built one of the world's most brutal police states, with a vast network of competing security and intelligence branches that terrorised much of the local population. The man who has replaced Bashar al-Assad as president is Ahmed al-Sharaa. His own background – as a former member of al-Qaeda who led the now-disbanded Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in the latter years of the war – led many Syrians to express doubts and concerns over his rule of such a religiously and ethnically diverse state. Al-Sharaa has repeatedly promised to protect minorities and build an inclusive state for Syrians of all backgrounds and religions. But a series of events in the interim has sown distrust between the ruling authorities and some members of religious minority groups. Massacres committed in the Alawite-dominated coastal region in March, followed by clashes between government-affiliated forces and Druze militias in May, rocked some of the goodwill and faith the new authorities had built up. The Mar Elias Church attack is, of course, different in that it was perpetrated by an enemy of the new government. But it has still contributed to the doubt felt by some that the security situation in Syria can improve – particularly, although not exclusively, for minorities. And that uncertainty is even pushing some minorities to consider that they may have to abandon their homes in Syria and leave the country. For many observers, ultimately, the buck stops with the authorities. 'The government will be judged based on what they are doing and how they solve the [security] issue,' Jerome Drevon, the International Crisis Group's senior analyst on jihad and modern conflict, told Al Jazeera, 'including the issue of religious minorities and how they protect them'.The government has said that it was able to thwart two other planned attacks by the same cell that was behind the Mar Elias attack, one of which was going to target a Shia Muslim shrine in Damascus. ISIL has yet to claim the attack, but is reportedly making inroads in Syria. The group had controlled vast swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq as part of its self-declared 'caliphate' before a United States-led campaign defeated it in 2019, and forced its remnants to the peripheries. Drevon said that the group had been mostly present in Syria's eastern desert in recent years, until US air strikes and Syrian government expansion led them to push into cities. ISIL now acts less as a hierarchical organisation and more as a network of independent cells, Drevon said, making it difficult to fully eradicate it. 'There is to some extent a security vacuum because there are not enough forces to man the full country,' Drevon said. Still, there is also room for positivity. Drevon noted that the government has had some success quelling insurgents and, as collaboration with foreign governments improves, so too will its intelligence and ability to thwart local attacks. 'There are cases of violence, of course, but the level of violence is very far from what we expected six months ago,' Drevon said. 'Even Western countries can't fully prevent armed attacks.' Analysts say Syrian authorities have been focused not just on preventing attacks from groups like ISIL, but also on stopping domestic insurrections, much like the one along Syria's coast in March sparked by supporters of al-Assad, which then descended into sectarian killing and massacres. Additionally, the new authorities are trying to improve their intelligence capabilities and means of collaborating and receiving intelligence from foreign countries. Drevon said it was important for foreign governments to collaborate with the new administration on intelligence to confront what is likely to be a growing threat from ISIL in the coming months. But beyond the question of the state's capacity to fight radical groups is also the importance of amplifying the message that religious and ethnic minorities are equal citizens in Syria, said Robin Yassin-Kassab, a Syrian writer. The overthrow of al-Assad was popular among Syrians, and the months that have followed have allowed for a new narrative of unity to emerge in the country. But that can quickly go away – particularly if people do not feel that justice is being carried out for the victims of all crimes, including ones committed by those aligned with the state. After the violence on the coast and in heavily Druze-populated areas, al-Sharaa's government formed committees to investigate and assign responsibility for the violence and deaths. The new authorities have occasionally also arrested people accused of perpetrating or coordinating violence. But some Syrians still don't feel there is a transparent process or messaging in distributing justice clearly, fairly and equally. '[There is] no clear message that perpetrators will be arrested and punished for committing crimes and it doesn't matter which political group or what identity, sect or regime, you are affiliated with, you will be punished,' Yassin-Kassab told Al Jazeera. 'That's still not clear.'
Al Jazeera
3 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Deadly church attack raises security fears for Syrians, minorities
Sunday's deadly attack on the Mar Elias Church in Damascus has shaken Syria, and particularly the country's Christians. The attack on Sunday killed at least 25 people, after a man with a rifle entered the church and shot at worshippers, before detonating a suicide bomb. It has raised questions about the ability of the new Syrian government to manage security in the country and protect its citizens, including those from minority groups. The Syrian Interior Ministry blamed ISIL (ISIS) for the attack, though another group called Saraya Ansar al-Sunna later claimed it. Government officials described the attack as an attempt to undermine their efforts to establish a state following the fall of longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad in December. 'Sedition is happening,' Hind Kabawat, Syria's Social and Labour Affairs minister, told Syria TV from a Damascus hospital, as she fought back tears. 'All Christians and Muslims and all Syrians need to be strong today. This is a big wound, and our pain is big.' Fears in Syria While the target of the attack was a church – the first of its kind against a Syrian church since the fall of the al-Assad regime – it serves as a reminder of the precarious security situation the country still finds itself in, affecting all Syrians, as the government attempts to provide stability. 'It's very dangerous,' Abu Hassan, a Damascus resident, told Al Jazeera by phone. He said that he was wary of more attacks taking place as part of an attempt to sow disunity between Syria's Christians and Muslims. '[The attacks] won't disappear,' he said. 'There will be more blood. May God protect this country.' The end of the al-Assad regime, following a more than 13-year war in which hundreds of thousands died, was welcomed by most Syrians. The al-Assad dynasty – Bashar had been preceded as president by his father Hafez – had effectively built one of the world's most brutal police states, with a vast network of competing security and intelligence branches that terrorised much of the local population. The man who has replaced Bashar al-Assad as president is Ahmed al-Sharaa. His own background – as a former member of al-Qaeda who led the now-disbanded Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in the latter years of the war – led many Syrians to express doubts and concerns over his rule of such a religiously and ethnically diverse state. Al-Sharaa has repeatedly promised to protect minorities and build an inclusive state for Syrians of all backgrounds and religions. But a series of events in the interim has sown distrust between the ruling authorities and some members of religious minority groups. Massacres committed in the Alawite-dominated coastal region in March, followed by clashes between government-affiliated forces and Druze militias in May, rocked some of the goodwill and faith the new authorities had built up. The Mar Elias Church attack is, of course, different in that it was perpetrated by an enemy of the new government. But it has still contributed to the doubt felt by some that the security situation in Syria can improve – particularly, although not exclusively, for minorities. And that uncertainty is even pushing some minorities to consider that they may have to abandon their homes in Syria and leave the country. For many observers, ultimately, the buck stops with the authorities. 'The government will be judged based on what they are doing and how they solve the [security] issue,' Jerome Drevon, the International Crisis Group's senior analyst on jihad and modern conflict, told Al Jazeera, 'including the issue of religious minorities and how they protect them'. Need for justice The government has said that it was able to thwart two other planned attacks by the same cell that was behind the Mar Elias attack, one of which was going to target a Shia Muslim shrine in Damascus. ISIL has yet to claim the attack, but is reportedly making inroads in Syria. The group had controlled vast swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq as part of its self-declared 'caliphate' before a United States-led campaign defeated it in 2019, and forced its remnants to the peripheries. Drevon said that the group had been mostly present in Syria's eastern desert in recent years, until US air strikes and Syrian government expansion led them to push into cities. ISIL now acts less as a hierarchical organisation and more as a network of independent cells, Drevon said, making it difficult to fully eradicate it. 'There is to some extent a security vacuum because there are not enough forces to man the full country,' Drevon said. Still, there is also room for positivity. Drevon noted that the government has had some success quelling insurgents and, as collaboration with foreign governments improves, so too will its intelligence and ability to thwart local attacks. 'There are cases of violence, of course, but the level of violence is very far from what we expected six months ago,' Drevon said. 'Even Western countries can't fully prevent armed attacks.' Analysts say Syrian authorities have been focused not just on preventing attacks from groups like ISIL, but also on stopping domestic insurrections, much like the one along Syria's coast in March sparked by supporters of al-Assad, which then descended into sectarian killing and massacres. Additionally, the new authorities are trying to improve their intelligence capabilities and means of collaborating and receiving intelligence from foreign countries. Drevon said it was important for foreign governments to collaborate with the new administration on intelligence to confront what is likely to be a growing threat from ISIL in the coming months. But beyond the question of the state's capacity to fight radical groups is also the importance of amplifying the message that religious and ethnic minorities are equal citizens in Syria, said Robin Yassin-Kassab, a Syrian writer. The overthrow of al-Assad was popular among Syrians, and the months that have followed have allowed for a new narrative of unity to emerge in the country. But that can quickly go away – particularly if people do not feel that justice is being carried out for the victims of all crimes, including ones committed by those aligned with the state. After the violence on the coast and in heavily Druze-populated areas, al-Sharaa's government formed committees to investigate and assign responsibility for the violence and deaths. The new authorities have occasionally also arrested people accused of perpetrating or coordinating violence. But some Syrians still don't feel there is a transparent process or messaging in distributing justice clearly, fairly and equally. '[There is] no clear message that perpetrators will be arrested and punished for committing crimes and it doesn't matter which political group or what identity, sect or regime, you are affiliated with, you will be punished,' Yassin-Kassab told Al Jazeera. 'That's still not clear.'
LBCI
4 days ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Unknown extremist group claims attack on church in Damascus
An extremist jihadi group has claimed responsibility for the deadly suicide bombing that targeted Mar Elias Church in Damascus. In a statement, Saraya Ansar al-Sunna said the 'martyrdom-seeker' Muhammad Zein al-Abidin Abu Othman carried out the attack. The group said the operation came 'after provocations' by Damascus Christians 'against the call and the people of the faith.' Saraya Ansar al-Sunna, which was founded shortly after the overthrow of the previous regime in December, was rejected as false reports published by the media affiliated with the Golani government. The group warned that its fighters, including suicide and infiltration operatives, remain 'fully prepared in number and readiness.' The Islamic State group has not claimed responsibility for the attack. AFP
Asharq Al-Awsat
4 days ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Syrian Interior Ministry Arrests ISIS Cell Responsible for Church Attack
Hours after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed that those involved in a 'heinous' suicide attack on a Damascus church a day earlier would face justice, Syria's Interior Ministry said authorities had arrested several suspects in connection with the attack. The shooting and suicide bombing Sunday at the Mar Elias church in the Dweila district of the Syrian capital killed 25 people and injured 63 others, according to the Health Ministry. 'In coordination with the General Intelligence Service, the Ministry carried out security operations against ISIS-linked terrorist cells in the Damascus countryside, arresting a cell leader and five members, and killing two others affiliated with the terrorist attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus,' the Syrian Interior Ministry said in a statement on Monday. 'During the raid, quantities of weapons and ammunition were seized, in addition to explosive vests and mines. A motorcycle bomb that had been prepared for detonation was also found,' it said. On Monday, the Syrian President expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims of the church bombing. He said 'this heinous crime that targeted innocent people in their worship places reminds us of the importance of solidarity and unity –government and people- in confronting threats to our security and the stability of our country.' Sharaa added, 'Today, we all stand united, rejecting injustice and crime in all its forms. We pledge to the victims that we will work day and night, mobilizing all our specialized security services, to apprehend all those who participated in and planned this heinous crime and bring them to justice to face their just punishment.' The attack is the first such bombing in Damascus since the fall of Bashar Assad's regime. It raised fear among the people. Commenting on the attack, a man in his 70s described the attack as 'a huge and horrible strike,' stressing the need for 'the authorities to tighten security measures on churches, all places of worship, and busy places.' On Monday, Asharq Al-Awsat spotted heavy deployment of local security agents in the capital's neighborhoods and major roads, amid heightened security measures. Adbdulrahman Alhaj, a researcher in Islamic studies, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Interior Ministry statement that linked the attack to an ISIS suicide attack is a suggestion that the ministry's spokesman Noureddine Al-Baba had mentioned in his Sunday press briefing. Alhaj said he supports the ministry's conclusions as ISIS had recently issued several threats signaling plans to confront the new regime in Damascus particularly, al-Sharaa.
Arab News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Pakistan condemns Syria church suicide bombing as death toll surges to 25
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's foreign office this week condemned a suicide attack targeting a church in Syria that killed 25 people, reaffirming its support for efforts aimed at achieving lasting peace in the country. Syrian state media reported that a suicide bomber carried out an attack inside the packed Mar Elias Church in Dweil'a on the outskirts of Damascus on Sunday. While no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, the Syrian Interior Ministry said a fighter from the Daesh group entered the church and fired at the people there before detonating himself with an explosives vest. 'Pakistan strongly condemns the heinous suicide bombing at the Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Damascus, Syria, on 22 June 2025, which resulted in the loss of precious lives and left many injured,' Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a press release on Monday. Islamabad expressed its heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured. 'Pakistan stands in full solidarity with the brotherly people of Syria in this hour of grief, and reaffirms its strong support for efforts aimed at achieving lasting peace and stability in the country,' the foreign ministry added. The church suicide blast was the first of its kind in Syria in years, and came as an interim government in Syria led by President Ahmed Al-Sharaa tries to win the support of minorities. Syria has made major inroads into the international fold since President Bashar Assad was removed in December 2024 after over a decade of civil war in the restive country. His ouster led to the United States and the European Union lifting its sanctions on the Arab country.
