Mosque bombing in Homs kills eight, deepening Syria’s sectarian tensions

At least eight people were killed and 18 others wounded after a bomb exploded inside a mosque in the central Syrian city of Homs during Friday prayers, authorities said, underscoring the country’s persistent sectarian and security challenges even as major combat has eased.

The blast struck the Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib Mosque in the Wadi al-Dhahab neighbourhood, an area largely inhabited by Syria’s Alawite minority. Images released by the state-run Arab News Agency showed bloodstained carpets, shattered windows, scorch marks and damage to the mosque’s walls.

According to Syria’s Interior Ministry, preliminary investigations suggest explosive devices were planted inside the building. Security forces cordoned off the area and launched a manhunt for those responsible, whose identities have not yet been confirmed.

A little-known group calling itself Saraya Ansar al-Sunna claimed responsibility in a statement on Telegram. The same group had earlier claimed a June attack on a Greek Orthodox church near Damascus, where a gunman opened fire before detonating an explosive vest, killing 25 worshippers. The Syrian government later blamed that attack on an Islamic State (IS) cell, though the group did not publicly claim responsibility.

IS, which adheres to an extreme interpretation of Sunni Islam and regards Shiites as apostates, has remained active despite suffering territorial defeats. Syria recently joined the global coalition against IS and has intensified operations against its cells, particularly following a deadly attack on US forces earlier this month.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the Homs bombing, calling it a “deadly terrorist attack” and stressing that those responsible must be identified and brought to justice, his spokesman said. He also noted Syria’s stated commitment to counter terrorism and ensure accountability.

The attack comes amid heightened sectarian tensions following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad last year. Assad, an Alawite, fled to Russia, and members of his community have since faced crackdowns and reprisals. In March, an ambush by Assad loyalists triggered days of violence that left hundreds dead, most of them Alawites.

The Supreme Alawite Islamic Council in Syria and the Diaspora described Friday’s bombing as part of a pattern of extremist violence targeting the Alawite community and other groups, holding the Syrian government “fully and directly responsible” and warning that such crimes would not go unanswered.

Local officials said the attack was aimed at destabilising the country and sowing chaos. Syria’s Foreign Ministry reiterated its resolve to combat terrorism in all forms, while the information minister accused remnants of the former regime, IS militants and their collaborators of seeking to undermine the new state.

The mosque’s deputy imam told state television that worshippers were knocked to the ground by the force of the explosion, which sparked a fire and destroyed copies of the Quran. Emergency services and the Syrian Red Crescent arrived within minutes to evacuate the injured.

Neighbouring countries including Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Lebanon condemned the attack, with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun reaffirming his country’s support for Syria’s fight against terrorism.

Separately, tensions remain high in northern Syria. Fresh clashes were reported on Friday between government security forces and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in Aleppo, days after a ceasefire was announced following earlier fighting that disrupted daily life in the city. Both sides accused the other of initiating the latest violence, highlighting the fragile security situation across the country.

With agency inputs