Reaction from Haifa after Iranian missile strike
An Israeli rescue service said Iranian missiles struck areas in northern and central Israel after the U.S. carried out strikes on Iran overnight. (AP video by Alon Bernstein)
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Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
At least 20 killed in suicide attack on Damascus church
At least 20 people were killed Sunday in a suicide attack on a church in Damascus, authorities said, with Syria's interior ministry blaming a member of the Islamic State group. The United Nations condemned the attack, the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, and the first on a church since the country's civil war erupted in 2011. Security remains one of the greatest challenges for Syria's new authorities, whom the international community has repeatedly urged to protect minorities. The interior ministry said in a statement that "a suicide attacker affiliated with the Daesh (IS) terrorist group entered the Saint Elias church in the Dwelaa area of the capital Damascus where he opened fire then blew himself up with an explosive belt". AFP correspondents saw first responders transporting people from the site, which was strewn with shattered wood from fittings and pews, with fallen icons and pools of blood seen on the floor. Security forces cordoned off the area. A health ministry statement carried by state news agency SANA said 20 people were killed and 52 wounded, raising an earlier civil defence toll. Bystander Lawrence Maamari told AFP that "someone entered (the church) from outside carrying a weapon" and began shooting, adding that people "tried to stop him before he blew himself up". - 'Heinous crime' - United Nations special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen expressed "outrage at this heinous crime", calling in a statement for "a full investigation and action by the authorities". France's foreign ministry condemned an "abject, terrorist" attack, reiterating its commitment to "a transition in Syria that allows Syrians, whatever their religion, to live in peace and security in a free, united, pluralistic, prosperous, stable and sovereign" country. Syria's foreign ministry described the attack as "a desperate attempt to undermine national coexistence and to destabilise the country". Ziad, 40, said from a shop near the church that he heard gunfire then an explosion, and saw glass flying at him. "We saw fire in the church and the remains of wooden benches thrown all the way to the entrance," he said. The blast sparked panic and fear in the church, which had been full of worshippers including children and the elderly, an eyewitness told AFP, requesting anonymity. Several people were reported missing, with families searching desperately for their loved ones. Assad had painted himself as a protector of minorities, who during Syria's nearly 14-year civil war were targeted by numerous attacks, many claimed by jihadist groups including IS. After the new authorities took power, the international community and visiting envoys repeatedly urged the government to protect minorities and ensure their participation in Syria's transitional process, particularly after sectarian violence erupted in several parts of the country. - Investigation - Interior Minister Anas Khattab offered condolences for the victims and said that "specialised teams from the ministry have begun investigations into the circumstances of this reprehensible crime". "These terrorist acts will not stop the efforts of the Syrian state in achieving civil peace," Khattab said according to a statement. In an interview earlier this month, Khattab noted the security challenges facing Syria and said that IS had shifted "to studied attacks on strategic targets". He said IS had attempted "to carry out attacks against the Christian and Shiite community" that the authorities had thwarted. Last month, IS claimed its first attack on Syria's new government forces. Also last month, Syrian authorities said they arrested members of an IS cell near Damascus, accusing them of preparing attacks, while another anti-IS operation in the northern city of Aleppo saw the death of one security officer and three IS members. IS seized large swathes of Syrian and Iraqi territory in the early years of the civil war, declaring a cross-border "caliphate" in 2014. US-backed Syria Kurdish forces defeated the proto-state in 2019, but the jihadists have maintained a presence, particularly in Syria's vast desert. burs-lar/lg/smw
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Suicide bombing at Damascus church kills 20, authorities say
At least 20 people have been killed and 52 others wounded in a suicide bombing at a church on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria's interior ministry has said. The attacker entered Mar Elias Church in Dweila during a service and opened fire with a weapon before detonating an explosive vest, the ministry said in a statement. It added that he was affiliated with the jihadist group Islamic State (IS). There was no immediate claim from the group itself. The Syrian Civil Defence - whose emergency teams are widely known as the White Helmets - posted photos and video from inside the church showing a heavily damaged altar, pews covered in broken glass and a bloodied floor. One person told AFP news agency outside Mar Elias that "someone entered carrying a weapon" and began shooting. "[People] tried to stop him before he blew himself up," he added. A worker at a nearby shop said: "We saw fire in the church and the remains of wooden benches thrown all the way to the entrance." Security forces have condoned off the area around the church and are investigating the attack, according to the interior ministry. It was the first such attack in Damascus since Bashar al-Assad was overthrown by rebel forces in December. Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa - whose Sunni Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), is a former al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria - has repeatedly promised to protect religious and ethnic minorities. However, the country has been rocked by two waves of deadly sectarian violence in recent months.
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Twenty killed in suicide bombing at Damascus church
(Reuters) -At least 20 people were killed and dozens injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Syria's capital Damascus on Sunday, health authorities and security sources said. It was the first suicide bombing in Damascus since Bashar al-Assad was toppled by an Islamist-led rebel insurgency in December. Syria's interior ministry said the suicide bomber was a member of Islamic State. He entered the church, opened fire and then detonated his explosive vest, a ministry statement added. A security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said two men were involved in the attack, including the one who blew himself up. Islamic State has been behind several attempted attacks on churches in Syria since Assad's fall, but this was the first to succeed, another security source told Reuters. Syria's state news agency cited the health ministry as saying that 52 people were also injured in the blast. A livestream from the site by Syria's civil defence, the White Helmets, showed scenes of destruction from inside the church, including a bloodied floor and shattered pews and masonry. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led the offensive against Assad before taking over in January for a transitional phase, has repeatedly said he will protect minorities. "We unequivocally condemn the abhorrent terrorist suicide bombing at the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus, Syria," the Greek foreign ministry said in a statement. "We demand that the Syrian transitional authorities take immediate action to hold those involved accountable and implement measures to guarantee the safety of Christian communities and all religious groups, allowing them to live without fear." Islamic State had previously targeted religious minorities, including a major attack on Shiite pilgrims in Sayeda Zainab in 2016 — one of the most notorious bombings during Assad's rule. The latest assault underscores the group's continued ability to exploit security gaps despite the collapse of its territorial control and years of counterterrorism efforts.
