Explosive Device Targets Security Forces Bus Near Damascus, Injuring Several

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — An explosive device targeted a bus carrying members of Syria’s Internal Security Forces near Damascus on Saturday, injuring several passengers, according to Syrian state media.

The state-run SANA news agency reported that the device struck a bus carrying Internal Security Forces personnel on the Maarounah–al-Tal road in the Damascus countryside.

“An explosive device targeted a bus carrying Internal Security Forces personnel on the Maarounah–al-Tal road in the Damascus countryside, leaving several personnel injured,” SANA reported.

Authorities were investigating the attack and working to identify those responsible, the agency said, without providing further details about the perpetrators or the severity of the injuries.

SANA published photographs showing a heavily damaged bus on the side of a road. Several windows and one of the vehicle’s doors appeared to have been blown out, with shattered glass scattered across the front seats.

Earlier in the day, the Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned an Israeli strike southwest of Damascus that wounded one person, marking the second reported Israeli attack on Syrian territory in a week amid growing tensions along the two countries’ border.

The Ministry described the strike as a “flagrant violation” of the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and a breach of international law.

The ministry said the attack was part of a pattern of repeated Israeli strikes against Syrian territory, without providing further details about the target.

Syrian state television reported that an “Israeli occupation drone” targeted a vehicle in the village of Beit Jinn, southwest of Damascus near the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.

One person was wounded in the strike, and state media published an image showing a damaged truck. 

Security Challenges Persist

Syria’s new Islamist authorities have faced significant security challenges since the overthrow of longtime President Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, with Damascus and surrounding areas experiencing several attacks.

Earlier this month, a bus explosion in Jaramana, a town near Damascus with Christian and Druze communities, wounded 14 people.

In July, two explosions occurred near a hotel where visiting French President Emmanuel Macron had been staying, although Macron was not at the facility at the time.

The blasts killed one person and wounded 36 others. Syrian authorities later said they had arrested those responsible and identified them as members of the Islamic State (ISIS) group.

Saturday’s attack adds to concerns over the security situation around the Syrian capital as the country’s new authorities continue efforts to consolidate control and counter armed groups operating across the country.