Homs, Syria, December 26, 2025: At least six people were killed and 21 others wounded in a deadly explosion at a mosque in the Alawite-majority Wadi al-Dahab neighbourhood of Homs on Friday, authorities said.
Syria’s Interior Ministry described the incident as a “terrorist explosion” targeting the Ali Bin Abi Talib Mosque during Friday prayers on Al-Khadri Street. The state news agency Sana reported that the cause and nature of the blast are under investigation.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said it was not immediately clear whether the explosion was caused by a suicide attack or a planted explosive device. A local security source, speaking anonymously to AFP, suggested the blast may have originated from an explosive device placed inside the mosque.
Residents described chaos and panic in the neighbourhood following the blast. “People heard a loud explosion, followed by chaos and panic. No one dares to leave their house, and we are hearing ambulance sirens,” one resident told AFP, requesting anonymity for safety reasons.
Photos published by Sana showed black smoke inside the mosque, a hole in a wall, and carpets and books scattered across the floor.
Homs has a history of sectarian violence during Syria’s civil war. Since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in 2024, reports of kidnappings and targeted killings against the Alawite community have increased. In March, coastal areas witnessed a massacre of Alawite civilians, with official inquiries reporting at least 1,426 deaths and the SOHR placing the toll above 1,700.
The mosque attack in Homs underscores ongoing security challenges and the continuing vulnerability of minority communities in Syria.
