Deadly Explosion Rocks Alawite Mosque in Homs, Syria

Mosque Attack in Homs

• 💥 A large explosion at the Imam Alib and Abi Talib mosque, which serves the Alawite minority sect in Homs, Syria, killed at least eight people and wounded more than a dozen.
• 🗓️ The blast occurred during Friday noon prayers, with around 300 worshippers present, according to Imam Ismael Alin Shalom.
• 🚨 Syrian state news agency SA cited a health ministry official, stating the figures were not final, and security forces cordoned off the area.

Responsibility and Condemnation

• 📢 An ultra-conservative Sunni group, Sur Ansar al-Suna, claimed responsibility for the attack via its Telegram channels.
• ⚠️ This group had previously claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a Damascus church in June that killed 20 people.
• 🌍 Syria's foreign ministry condemned the blast as a terrorist crime, with regional countries including Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Qatar also issuing condemnations.

Sectarian Violence Context

• 🇸🇾 Syria has experienced several incidents of sectarian violence targeting Alawites since the ousting of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad, who belongs to this minority group.
• ⚖️ Assad was replaced by a government led by members of the Sunni Muslim majority.