Explosion at mosque in Syria’s Homs kills at least eight

Syria’s foreign ministry condemned the attack as a ‘desperate attempt to undermine security and sow chaos’.Published On 26 Dec 2025At least eight people ‍have been killed and more than 18 injured when an explosion ⁠struck an Alawite mosque ​in Syria’s Homs province, according to local officials.The attack targeted the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in the Wadi al-Dahab neighbourhood of Homs during Friday prayers, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3How will Syria deal with its growing security challenges?list 2 of 3Syria says key ISIL leader captured near Damascuslist 3 of 3Syria says senior ISIL commander killed in Damascus countryside raidend of listFootage verified by Al Jazeera showed people fleeing the mosque in panic, placing some victims on stretchers and carrying others, wrapped in cloaks, to ambulances.The blast appeared to have taken place in the corner of the mosque’s main prayer hall, leaving a small crater in the wall and scorching the surrounding area, with prayer carpets ripped and strewn with debris, and books and fragments scattered across the floor.Local officials told the Reuters news agency the blast ‌may have been ‌caused by ⁠a suicide bomber or explosives placed there.Syria’s Interior Ministry said security forces had imposed a ​cordon around ‌the area and were investigating.Ayman Oghanna, Al Jazeera’s correspondent who visited the site of the explosion on Friday, said the attack likely aims to stir up sectarian tensions in the religiously diverse city of Homs.“Government forces are surrounding the mosque and an investigation team has gone inside,” he said.A group that calls itself Saraya Ansar al-Sunna has claimed responsibility for the attack, warning that its attacks will “continue and escalate”.‘Attempt to sow chaos’Rob Geist Pinfold, a lecturer in international security at the Kings’s College London, told Al Jazeera that Friday’s attack demonstrates the continuation of some of the brutal tactics used by groups that want to keep Syria weak and divided and unstable.