An explosion has killed at least eight people and injured 18 others during Friday prayers inside a mosque in the Syrian city of Homs, the health ministry has said.
Pictures from Syria's state-run news agency, Sana, show the inside of the Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib Mosque with black, scorched walls, smashed windows, and blood on the carpet.
Officials believe that an explosive was detonated inside the building, Sana reports, citing a security source. While authorities are still searching for the perpetrators, jihadist group Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah has claimed responsibility.
The mosque is in the Wadi al-Dhahab neighborhood, where most people are part of the Alawite ethnoreligious group.
Syria's Foreign Ministry condemned the terrorist crime, writing in a statement on X that the cowardly act is a blatant assault on human and moral values designed to undermine the security and stability of the country.
Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah, a Sunni extremist group, has stated it carried out the attack in collaboration with another unidentified group, using explosives planted at the site. Critics have raised concerns about its true alliances and links, suggesting it may be a front for ISIS.
This incident follows a year of rising sectarian violence in Syria, where communities remain fearful amid ongoing tensions.
