An explosion has killed at least eight people and injured 18 others during Friday prayers inside a mosque in the Syrian city of Homs, reported the health ministry.
Photos from Syria's state-run news agency, Sana, depicted the Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib Mosque with blackened walls, shattered windows, and bloodstains carpeted throughout.
Officials suspect an explosive was detonated within the building, with the jihadist group Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah claiming responsibility for the attack. Authorities are currently working to identify other suspects involved.
Located in the Wadi al-Dhahab neighborhood, most mosque-goers belong to the Alawite ethnoreligious group. Syria's Foreign Ministry condemned the incident as a terrorist crime, asserting the attack undermines national security.
Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah, a Sunni extremist faction, has indicated it collaborated with another unidentified group in executing the bombing. Observers raise questions about the group's affiliations, drawing parallels to the Islamic State due to their shared rhetoric and target selection.
The latest attack marks a significant escalation of violence, contradicting a lull that had followed several months without reported activities from Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah. Previously, the group had engaged in targeted killings primarily focused on minorities and remnants of the deposed Assad government.
The blast’s occurrence follows a year marked by regime changes and escalating sectarian violence in Syria, with Alawite communities expressing fears of retribution. The underscored vulnerability of Alawites underscores the sect’s critical minority status in the region amidst ongoing unrest.
Additional reporting by BBC Monitoring.
