Overview
- The explosion struck the Imam Ali (Ali Bin Abi Talib) mosque in Homs’ Wadi al-Dhahab neighborhood during Friday prayers in an area with a large Alawite community.
- State media citing health officials put the preliminary toll at eight dead and 18 injured, with authorities cautioning the figures could change.
- The Interior Ministry said improvised explosive devices were placed inside the mosque, and security forces cordoned the site as investigators collected evidence.
- A group calling itself Saraya Ansar al-Sunna claimed responsibility via online channels, but Syrian authorities have not verified the claim.
- Damascus condemned the attack as terrorism and accused remnants of the former regime and ISIS of seeking instability, while Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UN secretary-general issued condemnations.