Explosion Hits Mosque in Syrian City of Homs, Leaving Three Dead
Explosion at Homs mosque kills 3, injures 5; cause under investigation, no group claims responsibility.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – A deadly explosion struck the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in the Syrian city of Homs on Friday, killing at least three people and wounding several others. The blast, which targeted a site in the Wadi al-Dhahab neighborhood frequented by the Alawite community, sparked panic among residents and prompted a chaotic emergency response.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) also noted that the mosque is located in an Alawite-majority area of Homs.
According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), preliminary reports indicate three fatalities and five injuries resulting from the explosion inside the mosque.
While state media confirmed the casualty figures, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) provided additional details regarding the immediate aftermath, describing a scene of confusion and fear.
SOHR reported that public security forces fired shots into the air as ambulances rushed to the site, likely an attempt to control crowds or clear traffic for emergency vehicles.
The nature of the attack remains under investigation. Both SANA and SOHR noted that it is currently unclear whether the explosion was caused by a suicide bomber or an improvised explosive device (IED).
In the wake of the blast, residents of Homs and the Wadi al-Dhahab district issued urgent calls for assistance.
According to the Observatory, locals urged private car owners to head immediately to the mosque to help evacuate the injured to hospitals, supplementing the official ambulance response.
This incident marks the latest in a series of violent attacks targeting religious sites in Syria, raising concerns over civilian safety and sectarian tensions.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights highlighted a disturbing trend of assaults on places of worship in 2025.
On June 22, a suicide attack targeted the Greek Orthodox Saint Elias Church in the Duwaylaa neighborhood of Damascus. In that incident, a gunman stormed the church during mass, opening fire before detonating an explosive belt.
The attack, which killed at least 25 people and injured more than 60, was claimed by "Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah," a group believed to be linked to the Islamic State (IS).
Further incidents have been documented recently, including an arson attack on Saint Michael's Church earlier this month and the vandalism of a Virgin Mary statue at Saint Cyril Church in Damascus in early November.
The Observatory has also recorded the appearance of threatening messages and sectarian incitement on church walls in rural Damascus, signaling a deterioration in the security environment for religious communities across government-controlled areas.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for Friday’s explosion in Homs. Security forces have cordoned off the area as investigations continue.
This report was updated with new information obtained from SOHR, Friday, Dec. 26, 2025, at 01:54 PM.