The death toll from the explosion that targeted a cafe near the Palace of Justice in the Syrian capital Damascus on Thursday has risen to 9 dead, including 6 lawyers, and 19 wounded.
The head of the Syrian Bar Association, Muhammad al-Tawil, said, “The cafe where the explosion occurred is a rest area for lawyers, and according to groups affiliated with lawyers on social media, the names of 6 lawyers who were killed and 8 people who were injured in the explosion have been mentioned.”
The Director of Ambulance and Emergency Services at the Syrian Ministry of Health, Ahmed Al-Bakour, explained in a statement to the official “Al-Ikhbariya” channel that the number of deaths has stabilized at 9 cases, while 19 people with varying injuries (between severe, moderate and minor) were transferred to nearby hospitals, including Al-Mujtahid and Al-Rashid hospitals in the Bab Musalla area, the Syrian Red Crescent on Murshid Khater Street, and Ibn Al-Nafis in the Rukn Al-Din neighborhood.
For its part, the Ministry of Interior announced, via its official Facebook page, that its units had begun their field procedures following the explosion of an explosive device inside a cafe in the Hijaz area of the capital, Damascus. Internal security forces patrols and ambulance teams headed to the scene of the incident immediately upon receiving the report, to work on evacuating the injured and providing the necessary first aid. They also initiated a security cordon to ensure the safety of citizens and secure the entire perimeter of the site.
WhatsApp groups comprised of lawyers circulated news of the killing of several lawyers, given that the targeted café is located near the Palace of Justice and is a frequent destination for them, some of their clients, and local officials. While photos and names of some alleged victims, including lawyers Eid Muhammad and Muhannad al-Rawdan, were published, along with reports of others being injured, Al-Quds Al-Arabi was unable to independently verify this information.
Accounts also conflicted regarding the details of the bombing and what happened behind the scenes. In a widely circulated audio recording, a lawyer reported that she witnessed a suicide bomber storming the Palace of Justice building after the explosion, noting that security personnel managed to arrest and subdue him.
In contrast, another lawyer offered a different account in a voice message he recorded after leaving the Palace of Justice through a side exit, as part of the imposed security measures. In the recording, which Al-Quds Al-Arabi listened to, the lawyer confirmed that security forces had arrested one of the suspects behind the cafe bombing and were holding him in the Palace of Justice's detention center. He also urged his fellow lawyers to "stay away from the blast site for at least two hours to allow for the evacuation of the victims."
In this context, a lawyer, speaking to suggested that the second account was more accurate than the first, describing the latter as having an “emotional” tone driven by the state of panic and shock that was evident in his colleague’s voice message, adding: “If a suicide bomber had actually managed to storm the Palace of Justice building, he would have blown himself up immediately, and would not have allowed the security forces to arrest him.”
For his part, the Governor of Damascus, Maher Marwan Idlibi, inspected the targeted site and explained in a press statement that the explosion was caused by a crude, homemade explosive device. He considered the attack a desperate attempt to destabilize the capital and a “price to pay for the political transition” the country is undergoing. Idlibi affirmed that Syria is witnessing a steady recovery in all areas, and that the aim of the bombing was nothing more than to “disrupt” this progress. He stressed that anyone who sheds Syrian blood will receive their just punishment. The governor concluded his statement by emphasizing the continuation of daily efforts to strengthen security and enhance stability in the capital, noting that the top priority of the ongoing investigations is identifying the perpetrator of the bombing.
In a statement to an eyewitness, speaking by phone from Al-Mujtahid Hospital in Damascus, after providing first aid to his young son who was injured in the explosion, said that when he left the site of the explosion, it was not clear yet whether the explosion was caused by an explosive device or a suicide operation, but it occurred in the middle of the cafe that is now called “Al-Deiriyah Cafe,” named after the people of Deir ez-Zor, and is usually frequented by lawyers and their clientsvisiting the Palace of Justice located on Al-Nasr Street.
The source indicated that the cafe is located in an alley of the electrical supplies market, less than 100 meters west of the Palace of Justice, and only a few meters away from his shop. He saw about 25 injured people, both dead and wounded, lying on the ground, from among the patrons of the cafe or shoppers and passers-by in the crowded market. They were taken to nearby hospitals, including Al-Mujtahid Hospital, where he saw many of the injured with metal shrapnel from the explosion, or from the shock of the very loud sound, receiving treatment.
He confirmed that the competent authorities immediately imposed a tight cordon, closed the area, and began providing first aid to the injured. They also evacuated the shops and asked their owners to close them.
Since the new authority came to power in Damascus after the overthrow of former President Bashar al-Assad in December 2014, Damascus has witnessed occasional limited security incidents.
Authorities reported that a soldier was killed on May 19 by a car bomb explosion in Damascus near a building belonging to the Ministry of Defense, which announced at the time that the explosion coincided with an army group working to dismantle an explosive device.
In June 2025, a suicide bombing inside a church in the Douilaa neighborhood of Damascus killed 25 people. The attack was claimed by a Sunni extremist group, while authorities attributed it to the Islamic State.
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