Blast hits vehicle on outskirts of Syria’s Damascus: state media

What the report says

Several people were killed and others wounded when an explosion hit a passenger minibus in Jaramana, on the outskirts of Damascus, according to Syrian state media cited by Al Jazeera. The blast occurred on Thursday on Rauda Street in the town’s center during a busy period, and emergency crews and security personnel responded to the scene. Syrian officials gave differing early casualty figures, with state media reporting at least seven injuries, while a source at the health ministry told Al Jazeera that two people were dead and 11 injured, a toll that had not been officially confirmed.

Al Jazeera reported that a security source said the explosion was caused by an explosive device placed on the vehicle. State television also said body parts were found at the site and were being examined by forensic teams. The incident is the first bombing of its kind in Jaramana since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024.

The town, a mixed Druze-Christian community southeast of Damascus, has been tense in recent months. Al Jazeera said protests were held there two days earlier over alleged abuses in Sweida, and tensions rose again after a detention by security forces. The blast comes amid a series of recent explosions in Damascus, including one at the Palace of Justice that authorities blamed on ISIL. This latest attack underscores continuing instability in areas around the Syrian capital.