Overview
- An explosive device went off inside a cafe on Al‑Nasr/Al‑Nasser Street near the Palace of Justice on Thursday, with official tallies varying from four to nine dead and dozens wounded.
- Security sources said a person placed an improvised explosive device under a table and left before the blast, and state media and the Interior Ministry described the cause as a planted explosive.
- Emergency services rushed wounded people to nearby hospitals, security forces sealed the scene, and Damascus governor Maher Eldibi announced an investigation and vowed that those responsible would be punished.
- No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes while the Palace of Justice is holding high‑profile trials tied to the previous government and follows a string of recent bombings in Syria.
- The incident could prompt tighter security around the courthouse, further raids or arrests by authorities, and a revised official casualty count as investigators and hospitals continue to report new information.