World

Bomb planted on minibus kills two near Damascus, Syrian officials say

August 7, 2026 11:26 am

[Source: Reuters]

A bomb planted in a minibus killed two people and wounded 14 others on the outskirts of Syria’s capital Damascus on Thursday night, officials said.

The blast occurred in the predominantly Druze area ​of Jaramana, outside Damascus. A security source told the state-run Ekhbariya TV ​that the blast was caused by an explosive device planted on ⁠the vehicle, citing preliminary information.

Footage from the scene showed the blown-up husk of ​a white minibus being dragged away from the site of the blast.

Jaramana resident Samer ​Abbas was metres away in his clothing store when the explosion went off. A piece of shrapnel hit the storefront.

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“It was a strong unnatural sound,” he told Reuters in an interview.

His son, ​who had been sitting outside, was the first thing that came to Abbas’ ​mind. Fearing the worst, Abbas said he could not rest until he confirmed his son was ‌safe.

“My ⁠blood dried up until I checked up on him, I saw him … until I heard his voice,” he said.

Over at the Mujtahid Hospital in Damascus, Bassel Imad said the bombing was “sadistic”. His cousin Safouh was driving the vehicle that exploded and lay ​injured.

The targeted street ​in Jaramana is somewhat narrow ⁠and includes shops and street vendors, Imad said, as people clamored around him.

“What happened was very wicked,” he added.

Factions within Syria’s Druze ​community have clashed with the country’s new Islamist leadership.

A U.N. ​investigation in ⁠March found more than 1,700 people, most of them civilian members of the Druze religious sect and some members of the Bedouin community, were killed in the southern ⁠Sweida province ​in July 2025.

It said Syrian government forces, tribal ​fighters and Druze armed groups may have committed war crimes.