Eight people were killed in an explosion at a mosque of the Alawite minority sect in the central city of Homs on Friday, Syrian state news agency SANA said.
SANA cited Syrian Health Ministry official Najib al-Naasan as saying 18 others were wounded and that the figures were not final, indicating they could rise.
The city’s press office said an explosive device had detonated inside the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib mosque and that security forces had cordoned off the area. A local security official told SANA that the identity of the perpetrator and any affiliation to violent groups were still unknown.
Local official Issam Naameh told Reuters the blast occurred during Friday noon prayers.
Syria’s foreign ministry condemned the blast as a “terrorist crime.” Regional countries including Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Qatar also condemned the attack.
Syrian state media SANA published footage of rescuers and security forces examining debris splayed across the mosque’s green carpet.
This attack appears to be an escalation aimed at sowing further discord and deepening societal divisions, following intensified attempts by ISIS and supporters of the former Syrian regime to incite violence.
The Syrian Interior Ministry had announced the neutralization and arrest of senior ISIS leaders in the Damascus suburbs during the week.
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