Bombing at a Damascus cafe kills 10 near the main courthouse
A bomb planted inside a cafe in central Damascus and detonated remotely killed at least 10 people and wounded 22 on Thursday, Syrian authorities said. The al-Mushairiya cafe sits about 70 meters from the Palace of Justice, and six of the dead were lawyers. Officials dismissed reports of a suicide bomber, describing the device as crudely made.
No group has claimed responsibility. The attack is among the most serious security breaches in the capital since the government of Bashar al-Assad collapsed in December 2024, and follows a May bombing outside the Ministry of Defence. Regional governments — including Turkey, Iraq, Egypt, Qatar, and Jordan — and the European Union condemned it as terrorism.
The blast underscores how fragile security remains under Syria’s post-Assad authorities, who are still working to consolidate control and contain armed factions and remnant cells. Striking near the courthouse, at a spot frequented by lawyers and court staff, suggests an intent to hit the institutions of the emerging state, not just to cause mass casualties.