A bomb planted inside a minibus has killed two people and injured 13 others in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana, adding to concerns over security in an area that has seen repeated tensions in recent months.
Syrian officials said the explosion happened on Thursday evening in the predominantly Druze district on the outskirts of the capital. Initial findings indicate that an explosive device had been hidden inside the vehicle.
Television footage from the scene showed the charred remains of the white minibus being removed after the blast.
For those nearby, the explosion came without warning.
Shopkeeper Samer Abbas was working just metres from the blast when shrapnel struck the front of his clothing store.
"It was a strong unnatural sound," he told Reuters.
His immediate concern was for his son, who had been sitting outside moments before the explosion.
"My blood dried up until I checked up on him... until I heard his voice," Abbas said, describing the fear he felt before discovering his son was unharmed.
At Damascus' Mujtahid Hospital, Bassel Imad waited alongside relatives after his cousin, Safouh, who had been driving the minibus, was brought in injured.
"What happened was very wicked," he said, describing the bombing as "sadistic".
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Jaramana is home to a large Druze population and has become increasingly sensitive since the fall of Syria's former government. Relations between factions within the Druze community and the country's new Islamist leadership have remained strained.
The attack follows months of instability in southern Syria. A United Nations investigation published in March found that more than 1,700 people, most of them Druze civilians, were killed during violence in Sweida province in July 2025. The report said Syrian government forces, tribal fighters and Druze armed groups may all have committed war crimes.
Thursday's bombing is likely to deepen fears over security as Syria continues to grapple with political transition and sectarian tensions.
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