A bomb exploded in a crowded cafe in central Damascus, killing at least six people and wounding 22, Syrian state media said.
The Interior Ministry said an explosive device was planted inside a cafe just 100 meters from the Palace of Justice, the main government building in the capital’s Hejaz district.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
It was the deadliest bombing in Damascus since a suicide attack on a church in June 2025 killed 25 people.
Saraya Ansar al-Sunna, a secretive jihadist group, said it was behind the bombing, but authorities blamed the Islamic State (IS) group.
Mohammed al-Dhahabi, the owner of an optical store next door to the cafe, said Thursday’s bombings were similar to those seen in Damascus during the Syrian civil war.
“I felt a strong pressure and the whole scene shook,” he told AFP. “When I rushed to the scene, I saw people lying on the ground and blood pooling around them.”
Graphic footage posted on social media shows at least two men lying motionless on the floor of the cafe’s outdoor terrace.
Damascus Governor Maher Marwan Idlibi, who visited the scene, said those responsible for the bloodshed would be punished.
“Every time a country experiences a period of stability, malicious parties try to destabilize it,” he added.
There have been several attacks in Damascus since Islamist-led rebels ousted Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, ending 13 years of devastating civil war.
Since taking power, interim President Ahmed al-Shara has struggled to strengthen control over the country and restore security.
Several deadly sectarian fights have broken out between government forces and Syria’s Alawite and Druze religious minorities.
