A bomb hidden under a table at a cafe in central Damascus killed at least nine people and wounded 22 on Thursday, according to Al Jazeera and Asharq Al-Awsat. Earlier reporting from Syrian state television, cited by Euronews, put the toll at six, and casualty figures shifted during the first hours after the blast.
The explosion hit a cafe on al-Nasr Street in the al-Hijaz area, about 100 metres from the main entrance to the Palace of Justice, Al Jazeera reported. The cafe was popular with lawyers, court employees and visitors.
Security sources told Al Jazeera that a person entered the cafe, placed an improvised explosive device under a table and left, "possibly intending to reach the courthouse to carry out further attacks." No group had claimed responsibility as of reporting.
A city on edge since Assad's fall
The bombing is the latest in a series of attacks since the new authorities took power after the toppling of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. Al Jazeera reported that the deadliest came in June 2025, when an attack on a Damascus church killed 25 people, later claimed by a Sunni armed group while the authorities blamed the Islamic State (ISIL). Al Jazeera also noted a car bombing near an arms-management centre on May 19, 2026, that killed one person and wounded 18, and an ISIL-claimed bombing at the Mar Elias church on June 22.
Who might be responsible
With no claim of responsibility, analysts cited by Al Jazeera pointed to opponents of Syria's transitional government, including remnants of the former government — as many as 10,000 former officers, Baath Party members, militia figures and intelligence personnel estimated to be still at large. Analyst Kamal Abdo told Al Jazeera the attackers appeared to have "very long experience in carrying out such operations," while acknowledging that the new administration had proved "highly effective" in its security efforts.
Damascus Governor Maher Marwan said the government had made "a marked improvement" in security and warned that "those who shed the blood of Syrians will pay," according to Al Jazeera.
Why it matters and what to watch
The bombing struck near the Palace of Justice, one of the capital's main government buildings, according to Al Jazeera. No group had claimed responsibility, and investigators had not said who was behind the attack. Whether the Islamic State or opponents of the transitional government carry out further attacks will test the new authorities' control over the capital.