The Syrian security forces are arresting suspects during an operation in the suburbs of Damascus, following the suicide bombing carried out on June 22, 2025, against a church in the Syrian capital. (Credit: AFP/SANA)
BEIRUT — Syrian security forces have arrested three Lebanese nationals accused of involvement in planning the June 22 suicide bombing at Saint Elias Church in Damascus, which killed at least 25 people and wounded 63 during a Sunday Mass, Lebanese security sources told L’Orient-Le Jour.The attack, the deadliest against Christians in Syria since the 2011–2024 war, was claimed by Saraya Ansar al-Sunna, or “Brigade of Sunna Supporters,” a group some analysts consider a pro-Islamic State (IS) splinter of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). The group is reportedly composed of defectors from HTS and members of the al-Qaeda-linked Hurras al-Din.First appearing publicly on Feb. 1 by claiming the killing of 12 Alawites in Hama, the group has since threatened to carry out attacks against Christian, Druze and Shia communities in both Syria and Lebanon. In...
BEIRUT — Syrian security forces have arrested three Lebanese nationals accused of involvement in planning the June 22 suicide bombing at Saint Elias Church in Damascus, which killed at least 25 people and wounded 63 during a Sunday Mass, Lebanese security sources told L’Orient-Le Jour.The attack, the deadliest against Christians in Syria since the 2011–2024 war, was claimed by Saraya Ansar al-Sunna, or “Brigade of Sunna Supporters,” a group some analysts consider a pro-Islamic State (IS) splinter of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). The group is reportedly composed of defectors from HTS and members of the al-Qaeda-linked Hurras al-Din.First appearing publicly on Feb. 1 by claiming the killing of 12 Alawites in Hama, the group has since threatened to carry out attacks against Christian, Druze and Shia communities in both Syria and...
