An improvised explosive device (IED) detonated inside a cafe in central Damascus on Thursday, killing at least nine people and injuring 19, according to a medical source.
The source at the Damascus Health Directorate told dpa that the death toll from the bombing had risen in the evening to nine. Among the dead were six lawyers, while several of the injured remained in critical condition.
The explosion occurred around midday at a cafe near the Palace of Justice in the al-Hamidiyah district of the Syrian capital.
Damascus Governor Maher Marwan told reporters that the blast was caused by an IED and that security forces are reviewing surveillance footage from the surrounding area as part of their investigation.
A video circulating on social media showed people lying injured and covered in blood inside the café.
Mohammed al-Tawil, head of the Syrian Bar Association, told dpa that the establishment was a regular gathering place for lawyers.
"According to lawyers' groups on social media, the names of six lawyers who were killed have been identified, while eight others were injured in the blast," he said.
Marwan said all of the victims were civilians. The governor noted that the explosion took place near the Palace of Justice, where trials involving individuals accused of killings under the former regime of former president Bashar al-Assad have been taking place. The al-Assad government was overthrown in 2024.
