Deadly explosion hits Syrian mosque during Friday prayers

An explosion occurred at a mosque in the Syrian city of Homs during Friday prayers, killing at least eight people and injuring 18 others, the Syrian Ministry of Health said.

Photos released by Syria’s state-run Sanaa news agency showed burnt walls, smashed windows and blood on the carpet inside the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib mosque.

Officials believe the explosive was detonated inside the building, SANA reported, citing security sources. While authorities are still searching for the perpetrators, jihadist group Saraya Ansar al-Suna has claimed responsibility.

The mosque is located in the Wadi al-Dhahab neighborhood, where most people are part of the Alawite ethno-religious community.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned this “horrible crime” and wrote In a statement about X “Such cowardly behavior is a blatant attack on humanity and moral values” and is intended to “undermine the country’s security and stability.”

Sunni extremist group Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah said it carried out the attack in cooperation with another unidentified group and used explosives planted at the site.

The group’s vague origins and opaque affiliations were claimed in June Deadly church bombing in Damascusraising questions about its true connection and authenticity.

Given its similar messaging and target types, some observers speculated it could be a front for the Islamic State group (IS).

The latest accusations come after months of lull in attacks claimed by Salaya Ansar al-Suna, which have largely taken the form of allegedly targeted killings of minorities, which the group says are “remnants” of Syria’s former Bashar al-Assad government.

The explosion occurred a year after Syrian rebels overthrew the Alawite Assad. The sect is an offshoot of Shia Islam and its members are one of the largest religious minorities in the country.

Since then, there have been several waves of sectarian violence in Syria, with Alawites fearing reprisals and being suppressed. Assad fled to his regime’s ally, Russia, where he and his family found refuge.

March, Security forces accused of killing dozens of Alawites in the coastal province of Latakia, according to the war monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

Additional reporting by BBC Monitoring