Damascus, 26 December (H.S.): At least eight people were killed and 18 injured after an explosion struck worshippers at a mosque in the city of Homs on Friday, Syrian state media reported, in the latest attack targeting the country’s minority communities.

State news media said the blast occurred inside the Imam Ali Bin Abi Talib Mosque in the Wadi al-Dahab neighbourhood, a predominantly Alawite area, during Friday prayers. Syria’s interior ministry described the incident as a “terrorist explosion” and imposed a security cordon around the site as investigations began.

A health ministry official confirmed the preliminary casualty toll, while security sources said initial findings indicated that explosive devices had been planted inside the mosque.

Residents reported scenes of panic following the explosion, with ambulance sirens echoing across the neighbourhood. Images released by state media showed damage inside the mosque, including a hole in a wall, scattered carpets and books, and black smoke filling parts of the building.

Homs was a major flashpoint of sectarian violence during Syria’s civil war and remains ethnically and religiously mixed, with Sunni Muslims forming a majority alongside Alawite neighbourhoods.

The blast is the second attack on a place of worship since Islamist authorities took charge of Syria a year ago. In June, a suicide bombing at a church in Damascus killed 25 people.

Since the fall of the former government in 2024, rights monitors and residents have reported kidnappings and killings targeting members of minority communities, particularly Alawites. Protests were held last month along Syria’s coast over renewed attacks, while a massacre in March left more than 1,400 Alawite civilians dead, according to an official inquiry.

Human rights groups have accused security forces and allied groups of committing summary executions during that violence, with women, children and elderly people among the victims.

Despite repeated assurances from Damascus of protection for all communities, concerns persist among minorities over their safety. Sectarian clashes in the Druze-majority Sweida region in July killed more than 2,000 people, including hundreds of civilians, according to monitoring groups.

In a speech marking one year since the change of power, Syria’s president said national unity was essential to rebuilding the country, even as authorities continue to face challenges in restoring security nationwide.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar