Latest news with #civildefense
Asharq Al-Awsat
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
At Least 15 Killed in Suicide Bombing at Damascus Church
At least 15 people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Syria's capital Damascus on Sunday, security sources said. Syria's interior ministry said the suicide bomber was an ISIS member. He entered the church, opened fire and then detonated his explosive vest, the ministry added in a statement. A security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said two men were involved in the attack, including the one who blew himself up. Syria's state news agency cited the health ministry as putting the preliminary casualty toll at nine dead and 13 injured. Some local media reported that children were among the casualties. A livestream from the site by Syria's civil defense, the White Helmets, showed scenes of destruction from within the church, including a bloodied floor and shattered church pews and masonry. Syrian Information Minister Hamza Mostafa condemned the attack, calling it a terrorist attack. 'This cowardly act goes against the civic values that brings us together,' he said in a post on X. 'We will not back down from our commitment to equal citizenship ... and we also affirm the state's pledge to exert all its efforts to combat criminal organizations and to protect society from all attacks threatening its safety.'
LBCI
15 hours ago
- LBCI
Syria says Islamic State group behind church attack, at least 15 dead
Syria's interior ministry said a member of the Islamic State group was behind Sunday's attack on a church in Damascus, which civil defense reported had killed at least 15 people. "A suicide attacker affiliated with IS terrorist group entered the Saint Elias church... opened fire then blew himself up with an explosive belt," the ministry said in a statement. The Syrian civil defense said in a statement that the attack killed "more than 15 people and a number of wounded, according to a preliminary toll." AFP
CNN
16 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Suicide bomber attack on church in Syria kills at least 20 people
At least 20 people have been killed and 52 more are injured after a 'terrorist attack' on a Greek Orthodox church in the Syrian capital on Sunday, according to the country's health ministry. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but Syria's Ministry of Interior Affairs told CNN that it was carried out by a 'suicide bomber affiliated with the terrorist organization ISIS.' He opened fire on the congregation of Mar Elias Church in Damascus, before 'detonating himself using an explosive vest,' the ministry said in a statement. A mass was being held at the church at the time of the attack, according to Syria's state news agency SANA. A video circulating on Syrian social media from inside the church shows dead bodies, significant destruction, shattered glass and broken chairs in the area where mass was being held, with blood visible throughout the scene. Syria's civil defense, popularly known as the White Helmets, said emergency teams were working to transfer the bodies to hospitals and secure the area. 'The treacherous hand of evil struck' on Sunday, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch said in a statement, writing that 'an explosion occurred at the entrance of the church, resulting in the deaths of numerous martyrs and causing injuries to many others who were inside the church or in its immediate vicinity.' 'We offer our prayers for the repose of the souls of the martyrs, for the healing of the wounded, and for the consolation of our grieving faithful. We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to our faith and, through that steadfastness, our rejection of all fear and intimidation,' the church said. The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Geir O. Pedersen, expressed 'outrage' at the 'heinous crime,' his office said in a statement. 'Mr. Pedersen calls on all to unite in rejecting terrorism, extremism, incitement and the targeting of any community in Syria. He sends his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and his hope for the recovery of those injured,' the statement said. The United States' Special Envoy for Syria, Thomas Barrack, called the attack an act of 'cowardice,' saying in a statement that it has 'no place in the new tapestry of integrated tolerance and inclusion that Syrians are weaving.' The foreign ministries of Turkey, Jordan, Iraq, Israel, Greece, Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Palestinian Authority, Yemen, Oman, Bahrain, Ukraine, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands also spoke out in condemnation of the attack. CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report.
CNN
16 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Suicide bomber attack on church in Syria kills at least 20 people
At least 20 people have been killed and 52 more are injured after a 'terrorist attack' on a Greek Orthodox church in the Syrian capital on Sunday, according to the country's health ministry. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but Syria's Ministry of Interior Affairs told CNN that it was carried out by a 'suicide bomber affiliated with the terrorist organization ISIS.' He opened fire on the congregation of Mar Elias Church in Damascus, before 'detonating himself using an explosive vest,' the ministry said in a statement. A mass was being held at the church at the time of the attack, according to Syria's state news agency SANA. A video circulating on Syrian social media from inside the church shows dead bodies, significant destruction, shattered glass and broken chairs in the area where mass was being held, with blood visible throughout the scene. Syria's civil defense, popularly known as the White Helmets, said emergency teams were working to transfer the bodies to hospitals and secure the area. 'The treacherous hand of evil struck' on Sunday, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch said in a statement, writing that 'an explosion occurred at the entrance of the church, resulting in the deaths of numerous martyrs and causing injuries to many others who were inside the church or in its immediate vicinity.' 'We offer our prayers for the repose of the souls of the martyrs, for the healing of the wounded, and for the consolation of our grieving faithful. We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to our faith and, through that steadfastness, our rejection of all fear and intimidation,' the church said. The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Geir O. Pedersen, expressed 'outrage' at the 'heinous crime,' his office said in a statement. 'Mr. Pedersen calls on all to unite in rejecting terrorism, extremism, incitement and the targeting of any community in Syria. He sends his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and his hope for the recovery of those injured,' the statement said. The United States' Special Envoy for Syria, Thomas Barrack, called the attack an act of 'cowardice,' saying in a statement that it has 'no place in the new tapestry of integrated tolerance and inclusion that Syrians are weaving.' The foreign ministries of Turkey, Jordan, Iraq, Israel, Greece, Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Palestinian Authority, Yemen, Oman, Bahrain, Ukraine, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands also spoke out in condemnation of the attack. CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report.
Al Arabiya
5 days ago
- Health
- Al Arabiya
Israel kills at least 30 in Gaza, including Palestinians seeking aid
Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli fire killed at least 30 people were killed in the Palestinian territory on Wednesday, including 11 who were seeking aid. Israel's war has ravaged the Gaza Strip, with severe shortages of food, fuel and clean water. Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that 11 people were killed and more than 100 wounded 'after the occupation forces opened fire and launched several shells... at thousands of citizens' who had gathered to queue for food in central Gaza. In early March, Israel imposed a total aid blockade on Gaza amid deadlock in truce negotiations, only partially easing restrictions in late May. Since then, chaotic scenes and a string of deadly shootings have occurred near areas where Palestinians have gathered in hope of receiving aid. The civil defense agency said another 19 people were killed in three Israeli strikes on Wednesday, which it said targeted houses and a tent for displaced people. When asked for comment by AFP, the Israeli military said it was 'looking into' the reports. Israeli restrictions on media in the Gaza Strip and difficulties in accessing some areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defense agency. The UN humanitarian office OCHA said on Monday that its partners 'continue to warn of the risk of famine in Gaza, amid catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity.' The civil defense agency reported that at least 53 people were killed on Tuesday, as they gathered near an aid center in the southern city of Khan Younis hoping to receive flour. After Israel eased its blockade, the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began distributing aid in late May, but its operations have been marred by chaotic scenes and dozens of deaths. In a statement on Tuesday, the organization said that 'to date, not a single incident has occurred at or in the surrounding vicinity of GHF sites nor has an incident occurred during our operating hours.' UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the foundation over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. The Gaza health ministry said on Tuesday that 5,194 people have been killed since Israel resumed major operations in the territory on March 18, ending a two-month truce. The overall death toll in Gaza since Israel's war broke out has reached 55,493 people, according to the health ministry.
