DAMASCUS, Syria: An explosion struck a mosque in a predominantly Alawite neighborhood of Syria’s Homs on Friday, killing at least six people, according to authorities.
“A terrorist explosion targeted the Ali Bin Abi Talib Mosque during Friday prayers in Al-Khadri Street in the Wadi al-Dahab neighbourhood of Homs,” the interior ministry said in a statement, adding that six people were killed and 21 others wounded.
According to Syria’s state news agency SANA the cause and nature were being investigated.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it was not immediately clear whether the blast was caused by a suicide attack or an explosive device.
A local security source in Homs told AFP on condition of anonymity the explosion may have been caused by “an explosive device placed inside the mosque”.
A resident of the area, requesting anonymity out of fear for his safety, told AFP people “heard a loud explosion, followed by chaos and panic in the neighbourhood”.
“No one dares to leave their house, and we are hearing ambulance sirens,” he added.
Black smoke billowed through part of the mosque, while carpets and religious books lay scattered in the surrounding area.
Homs is a predominantly Sunni Muslim city but also includes several neighborhoods largely inhabited by members of the Alawite community.
Since Assad was removed from power in 2024, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and residents of Homs have reported a rise in kidnappings and killings targeting members of the Alawite minority.
Earlier this month, an attacker suspected of belonging to the Islamic State killed two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in central Syria, authorities said.
