Suicide bomber strikes Syrian church near Damascus during mass

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says 30 people were wounded and killed.

DAMASCUS, Syria -- A suicide bomber in Syria on Sunday detonated himself inside a church filled with people, state television and a war monitor said.

The explosion in Dweil’a in the outskirts of Damascus took place as people were praying inside the Mar Elias Church. Britain-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says there were 30 people wounded and killed, but the exact numbers are unclear. Some local media reported that children were among the casualties.

The attack was the first of its kind in Syria in years, and comes as Damascus under its de facto Islamist rule is trying to win the support of minorities. As President Ahmad al-Sharaa struggles to exert authority across the country, there have been concerns about the presence of sleeper cells of extremist groups in the war-torn country.

Security forces and first-responders rushed to the church. An eye witness said in a video widely circulated online that the attacker came in and started to shoot at the people there before detonating an explosive vest he was wearing.

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