At least two people were killed and 14 others injured after a bomb hidden inside a minibus exploded in the outskirts of Syria’s capital, Damascus, on Thursday night.
According to Syrian officials, the blast occurred in Jaramana, a predominantly Druze suburb outside Damascus. Preliminary investigations indicate that an explosive device had been planted inside the vehicle before it detonated.
Images from the scene showed the heavily damaged remains of the white minibus being towed away as emergency crews responded to the explosion.
A local resident, Samer Abbas, said he was inside his clothing store just metres from the blast when it happened. The explosion sent shrapnel into his shop, while his son had been sitting outside moments earlier.
“I was terrified until I found my son and heard his voice,” Abbas said, describing the explosion as an unnatural and powerful blast.
At Mujtahid Hospital in Damascus, Bassel Imad said his cousin, Safouh, who had been driving the minibus, survived the explosion but was seriously injured.
He described the attack as “wicked,” noting that the targeted street was crowded with shops and street vendors when the bomb exploded.
The bombing comes amid ongoing tensions involving Syria’s Druze community and the country’s Islamist-led government.
Earlier this year, a United Nations investigation reported that more than 1,700 people, most of them Druze civilians, were killed during violence in Sweida Province in July 2025. The UN said Syrian government forces, tribal fighters and Druze armed groups may have committed war crimes during the clashes.
