ALBAWABA - An explosion rocked a mosque in Homs, Syria, on Friday, claiming the lives of at least three individuals and injuring five more, according to Syrian officials. The investigation into the blast's origins is ongoing.
The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency reported that the explosion happened within the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque, located in the Wadi al-Dahab neighborhood, which is largely inhabited by the Alawite community. Emergency responders quickly arrived, tending to the wounded and securing the area, as security forces cordoned off the site.
Authorities cautioned that the casualty numbers were initial estimates and emphasized that the precise nature of the event remained undetermined.
No one has stepped forward to take credit for the attack.
The explosion occurred against a backdrop of intensified security measures in Syria. These were implemented after the recent capture of a high-ranking ISIS commander and the death of another militant, both resulting from a joint operation with the US-led international coalition near Damascus.
Syria officially became part of the international coalition fighting ISIS in November, following President Ahmed al-Sharaa's visit to Washington. The coalition, which began its work in 2014, was instrumental in dismantling the extremist group's territorial hold in Syria and Iraq between 2017 and 2019.
