Overview
- A device exploded in a café next to the Palace of Justice in the Hiyaz district of central Damascus, leaving multiple people dead and many more injured.
- Official tallies vary across outlets but state media and health officials reported between five and nine fatalities and roughly 16 to 22 wounded on Thursday.
- Internal Security Forces, ambulances and civil defence teams cordoned the area, evacuated the wounded and began on-scene forensic and security work.
- No group has claimed responsibility and the governor of Damascus vowed that those who carried out the attack will be punished as investigations proceed.
- The blast occurred the same day Syria’s foreign minister was visiting Lebanon, and the café’s proximity to courts raises fresh concerns about security near judicial institutions and possible tightened protections.