An enormous number of Christians were killed today in the Douila area of the Syrian capital city of Damascus when a suicide bomber detonated a bomb during a Sunday mass at the Mar Elias church.
State media initial reported 9 killed and dozens wounded, but the number has continued to rise throughout the morning. 22 have been killed in the latest report, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has put the toll around 30 killed and wounded so far, and the church badly damaged by the attack.
This is the largest attack seen in the capital city in years, and sorely undercuts the ruling Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) pledge to protect religious minorities, when even in the capital city groups are able to carry out such attacks.
The Syrian Interior Ministry reported that there were two ISIS-affiliated men involved in the attack, they entered the church and opened fire first before detonating a suicide vest in the crowd of worshipers, causing far more casualties.
Mar Elias church is hugely important to local Christians, and was built in the 19th century on the site that it is held the prophet Elijah sheltered in the Old Testament. Referenced in 1 Kings 19, Elijah is said to have taken shelter in a cave, and the church is built over the cave that is purported to be that site. The cave itself has been considered sacred for many centuries and contains a lot of artwork dating back to at least the 12th century.
ISIS has been trying to reassert itself in Syria for years, and has been increasingly active in the country’s east of late. This suggests they are being increasingly aggressive about their operations, as it is a bold attack that will certainly escalate the conflict with HTS.
