Damage after the suicide bombing with an explosive belt that targeted Saint Elias Church in Damascus on June 22, 2025. (Credit: Charles Cuau)
"At first, I heard the noise of the bullets. I wanted to run away, but it was impossible. The terrorists came in and started shooting at us," Joulian Nakoula, 15, said. On Sunday, June 22, Nakoula was inside Saint Elie Church in the Doueilaa neighborhood of Damascus when it was targeted by a suicide attack around 6:30 p.m. He was struck by three bullets: one in the knee, a second in the hip and another in his right hand. He lost consciousness and woke up in the ambulance on the way to Damascus Central Hospital.From his hospital bed, he described the horror: "It was a horrible scene, I had blood on my hands. I thought it was over." The political context IS 'fights to survive' amid renewed tensions in Syria Like every Sunday evening at prayer time, the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Elie was full. "Two armed men tried...
"At first, I heard the noise of the bullets. I wanted to run away, but it was impossible. The terrorists came in and started shooting at us," Joulian Nakoula, 15, said. On Sunday, June 22, Nakoula was inside Saint Elie Church in the Doueilaa neighborhood of Damascus when it was targeted by a suicide attack around 6:30 p.m. He was struck by three bullets: one in the knee, a second in the hip and another in his right hand. He lost consciousness and woke up in the ambulance on the way to Damascus Central Hospital.From his hospital bed, he described the horror: "It was a horrible scene, I had blood on my hands. I thought it was over." The political context IS 'fights to survive' amid renewed tensions in Syria Like every Sunday evening at prayer time, the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Elie was full. "Two armed men...