People killed and injured as blast hits vehicle near Syria’s Damascus
Body parts found at the scene and at least 13 wounded after explosion on minibus in town of Jaramana, health ministry says. At least two
Body parts found at the scene and at least 13 wounded after explosion on minibus in town of Jaramana, health ministry says. At least two people have been killed and several wounded in an explosion on a passenger minibus in a town on the outskirts of the Syrian capital, Damascus. Thirteen injuries have so far been recorded in the blast that took place in the town of Jaramana on Thursday, Syria’s Ministry of Health said. Najeeb al-Nassan, the director of the Referral, Ambulance and Emergency Directorate at the health ministry, told state news agency SANA that body parts had been found at the scene and were being handled by forensic teams.
The blast took place during peak hour in Rauda district of Jaramana, state-run Ekhbariya TV reported. Residents and rescue workers rushed to the scene. A security source told Al Jazeera the blast was caused by an explosive device planted on a minibus. An Associated Press journalist at the scene saw one of the bodies pulled from the wreckage. Witnesses told the AP that there were passengers inside the vehicle that exploded, and that the blast rattled the busy commercial street. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent Amer al-Abbad, reporting from Damascus, said the town had seen rising tensions in recent days.
Two days ago, limited protests were held in Jaramana demanding accountability for what residents called perpetrators of violations in the city of Suwayda. Tensions flared again overnight after security forces detained a man accused of glorifying symbols of the former government. Jaramana, a mixed Druze-Christian town 13km (8 miles) southeast of Damascus, has been a flashpoint since the fall of ousted President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. Clashes between Druze gunmen and government security forces erupted there in early 2025, and deadly sectarian violence in April and May 2025 prompted disarmament deals between Damascus and Druze leaders in Jaramana and Suwayda.
The bombing is the first of its kind in the town since the fall of the previous government. In recent weeks, Damascus has been hit by a series of blasts, including one at the Palace of Justice, which authorities blamed on the ISIL (ISIS) group.
The BriefWire