Worshippers and rescuers inspecting the damage at the site of the suicide attack at Saint Elias Church in the Dwelaa neighborhood of Damascus, on June 22, 2025. (Credit: Louai Beshara/AFP)
From President Joseph Aoun to Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai and Druze leader Walid Joumblatt, a broad range of Lebanese officials on Sunday condemned the suicide bombing that struck a Christian church in Damascus, killing more than 20 people and injuring dozens.
The attack — the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled former President Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8, 2024 — targeted the Greek Orthodox Saint Elias Church in the Dwelaa neighborhood. According to the Syrian Interior Ministry, “a suicide attacker affiliated with the terrorist group Daesh entered, opened fire, and then blew himself up with an explosive belt.”
Calls to protect places of worship
President Aoun offered his “sincere condolences to the Greek Orthodox Church for the victims of the terrorist attack,” and wished a speedy recovery to the wounded. He “strongly condemned this criminal act,” calling on Syrian authorities "to take the necessary measures to prevent its recurrence, to protect places of worship and their faithful, and to ensure the safety of all Syrian citizens, regardless of their religion. The unity of the Syrian people is essential to avert conflict and instability,” he said.
Patriarch Rai said he was “deeply saddened by the attack,” and condemned “all forms of violence and attacks on houses of worship and peaceful civilians.” He called for “prayers and efforts at home and abroad to promote a language of love, dialogue, and respect, in order to establish a just and lasting peace in Syria and across the region.” He described the targeting of Christians in the region as “a denial of its true historical identity,” and expressed solidarity with the Greek Orthodox Church. He also offered condolences to Patriarch John X Yazigi of Antioch and all the East, as well as to the victims’ families.
Political and religious figures react
Former Prime Minister Najib Mikati called Patriarch Yazigi to express his condolences and denounce the “criminal aggression.” He called the bombing “a terrorist act condemned by all moral and religious values,” saying it aimed “to sow hatred and sectarian division among the Syrian people and revive fanaticism.” He expressed confidence in Patriarch Yazigi’s leadership to help “stifle discord,” and in Syria’s ability to pursue its path toward recovery.
Druze leader Walid Joumblatt posted on X (formerly Twitter) condemning the attack as one “targeting Syria’s national security.”
In Beirut, Sheikh Ali al-Khatib, vice president of the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council, sent a message to Patriarch Yazigi expressing condolences and affirming his community’s solidarity. “With deep sorrow and anger, we received news of the terrorist attack,” he wrote. “This cowardly crime, committed by murderers whose only mission is bloodshed, must be rooted out so our region may know peace and security.”
Lebanese Democratic Party leader Talal Arslan also condemned the attack, offering “sincere condolences to the families of the martyrs.” “Once again, Syria is struck at its heart, and a church in Damascus is targeted by a cowardly terrorist act that knows neither religion nor identity — only murder and incitement to division,” he said. “But Syria remains stronger than terrorism, and its people deserve peace, stability, and dignity.”
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