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TWO people were killed and 14 others injured after a bomb planted on a minibus exploded in Jaramana, a predominantly Druze area on the outskirts of Syria’s capital Damascus, officials said on Thursday night.
A security source told state-run Ekhbariya TV that preliminary information indicated an explosive device had been planted on the minibus taxi before detonating.
Footage from the scene showed the wreckage of a white minibus being removed from the blast site following the explosion.
Residents described scenes of panic after the attack, with nearby shops and streets affected by the blast.
Reuters cited Jaramana resident Samer Abbas, who was inside his clothing shop just metres away when the explosion occurred, said shrapnel struck the storefront.
“It was a strong unnatural sound,” he told Reuters.
Abbas said his immediate concern was for his son, who had been sitting outside near the scene of the explosion.
“My blood dried up until I checked up on him, I saw him ... until I heard his voice,” he said.
At Mujtahid Hospital in Damascus, Bassel Imad described the bombing as "sadistic", saying his cousin Safouh, who was driving the targeted vehicle, was among those injured.
The street where the blast occurred was relatively narrow and lined with shops and street vendors, Imad said, as crowds gathered following the explosion.
"What happened was very wicked," he added.
The attack comes amid continued tensions involving Syria’s Druze community and the country’s new Islamist leadership.
A United Nations investigation in March found that more than 1,700 people, mostly civilian members of the Druze religious minority along with some members of the Bedouin community, were killed in Sweida province in July 2025.
The report said Syrian government forces, tribal fighters and Druze armed groups may have committed war crimes during the violence. - August 7, 2026