Syria Revises Damascus Blast Death Toll to Zero After Investigation

Reuters

People look at a damaged vehicle following an explosion, in Jaramana.

Syria's Health Ministry said on Friday that 14 people were injured, three of them critically, in the explosion of a minivan taxi in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana, adding that no fatalities had occurred.

The ministry had initially reported on Thursday night that two people had been killed in the blast. However, it later clarified that the deaths had been mistakenly recorded after three severed limbs recovered from the scene were believed to belong to deceased victims.

Following further investigation, officials determined that the limbs belonged to survivors who were undergoing surgery, the ministry said, according to The Associated Press.

Authorities said the explosion was caused by an explosive device planted inside the passenger minivan, which was carrying commuters at the time of the attack.

A little-known group calling itself Minbar Ansar al-Rasoul claimed responsibility for the bombing in a statement. Syrian authorities have not announced any arrests or released the findings of their investigation.

The bombing, the third such attack in just over a month, is the latest security challenge facing Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa since he came to power in December 2024 after leading the insurgency that toppled the Assad dynasty, ending more than five decades of family rule.

In early July, two explosions injured at least 18 people during French President Emmanuel Macron's landmark visit to Syria. The explosive devices had been concealed in a rubbish bin and a parked car. Syrian authorities later arrested suspects they said were members of an Islamic State cell.

Jaramana, home to a large Druze community, has witnessed tensions between some members of the religious minority and Sunni Muslim Syrians who support the country's current Islamist-led government. Tensions escalated in April 2025, when at least 10 people were killed in sectarian clashes between Druze gunmen and pro-government fighters.

Since taking office, al-Sharaa has sought to consolidate government control across Syria, reassure minority communities wary of his Islamist-led administration and secure broader support from Western governments, many of which remain cautious because of his past leadership of the former al-Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group. His administration has pledged wide-ranging political and economic reforms following decades of authoritarian rule under the Assad family.



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