An explosion targeting a mosque in the Syrian city of Homs on Friday killed at least eight people and injured 18 others, the country’s health ministry said.
State news agency SANA reported that “explosive devices” were planted at the Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb Mosque, targeting worshipers attending Friday prayers.
A video released by the state news agency showed the mosque’s interior sustaining extensive damage, with debris strewn on the floor.
Security forces set up a cordon around the mosque as authorities began investigating the incident and collecting evidence, the Interior Ministry said.
Homs province’s media office said it was not immediately clear who carried out the attack.
A group calling itself Ansar al-Sunna claimed responsibility on Telegram shortly after, but Syrian authorities have not publicly commented on the claim.
Survivors of the explosion described chaos as the blast rocked the mosque as people gathered for Friday prayers.
“With the first prostrations, there was a huge explosion. All the people fell to the floor, some with their heads blown off. Those on the right side were the most affected. Many were injured and fled, there was a large crowd,” Bashar al-Issa told SANA.
Syria’s Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa condemned the deadly explosion.
“Everyone can see that the remnants of the Assad regime, ISIS elements, and operatives are coming together with one goal: to obstruct the path to a new state by destabilizing security, destroying civil peace, and undermining the timeless collective life and common destiny of Syrians,” al-Mustafa said.
Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Qatar also condemned the attack and expressed their condolences to the victims.
France’s foreign ministry said in a statement that it condemned the attack, which “seeks to sow fear and undermine continued efforts to establish peace and stability within a united and pluralistic Syria.”
Gregory Galligan, Canada’s ambassador to Lebanon and Syria, said Canada “stands in solidarity with the victims, their families, and all Syrians who stand against violence and extremism.”
Syria has faced a series of security challenges since longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad was deposed last year.
Since then, the country has been plagued by sectarian violence as it seeks to rebuild and rebuild after more than a decade of civil war.
Syria’s President Ahmed al-Shara, a former al-Qaida member, has pledged to be inclusive and protect all of Syria’s diverse communities, but he has been balked by some groups who continue to carry out targeted violence.
Clashes broke out between the Syrian army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the Syrian city of Aleppo on Monday, as high-level talks continued over plans to integrate the SDF into Syria’s state institutions.
