Reporting from Damascus, Syria
The damage is quite significant near the cafe but the court house which is 100 metres away was not damaged at all.
This area of the Syrian capital is very densely populated. The court house has thousands of people coming to it on a daily basis.
The area outside the cafe where the explosion happened, which is now deserted, is usually packed with people and there are cars constantly moving around. Many of the people who visit the courthouse, sit in the cafe that was attacked. The casualties are higher because it is such a busy area.
Of the 16 people who have so far been reportedly injured, some of them we are being told have severe injuries.
The governor of Damascus spoke on the steps of the courthouse soon after the explosion. He said the investigation into how this attack happened and who was behind it are ongoing. He confirmed an IED was planted in the cafe, and at least one suspect fleeing the area was pursued and captured.
It is unclear if they’re looking for more suspects, or if there are more security threats at this time.
The governor said there are “bad actors” trying to destabilise the country at a time when the government is trying to rebuild and improve the economic and security situation. He did not say if this was a terrorist attack or linked to a proscribed organisation such as ISIL, also known as Daesh.
Exclusive video obtained by Al Jazeera shows the scene of the explosion.
Security and emergency personnel are in the area while large crowds gathered nearby.
Watch below:
مشاهد خاصة لسوريا الآن من محيط موقع الانفجار في مقهى بالقرب من القصر العدلي في دمشق #خاص pic.twitter.com/qs3r3IH9mi
— سوريا الآن – أخبار (@AJSyriaNowN) July 2, 2026
Translation: Exclusive footage from the vicinity of the explosion site at a cafe near the Palace of Justice in Damascus.
Maher Marwan, governor of Damascus, says those responsible for the explosion in a cafe in the capital will be held to account.
“The coming hours will reveal everything and those who shed the blood of Syrians will pay, but Syria will be well as long as we are one hand, and this will not shake the Syrian state,” the governor told an Al Jazeera reporter in Damascus.
“There are a lot of measures being taken for Syria’s security, there are greater numbers of forces day by day, and there is a marked improvement in the Interior Ministry,” he said.
“It will take some time for the Syrian state to attain stability. The Interior Ministry has done well over the last few months. Despite beginning from ruins, there has been a marked improvement,” Marwan said.
“Day after day, they will get those who have affected Syria’s security. The more Syria attains stability, the more there are those who want to damage it.”
Damascus has been hit by a small number of attacks since the toppling of former President Bashar al-Assad in late 2024.
His overthrow by Ahmed al-Sharaa, now Syria’s president, and his rebel forces effectively ended 14 years of civil war.
A car bomb killed one Syrian soldier and wounded at least 18 other people on May 19 outside a defence ministry building in the capital.
Reporting from Damascus, Syria
The nearby market bazaar area is usually filled with thousands of people, cars coming and pedestrians.
Initially when we arrived on the scene a lot of people were gathered. Some visuals have come out from the point of the attack showing bodies on the floor of the cafe. At least five people have been confirmed killed.
Official government sources say the death toll could increase. There are at least 16 people with injuries, some severe. There have been ambulances coming and going.
Fifteen victims, including five dead and 10 injured, were transferred from the explosion site to al-Mujtahid Hospital.
One wounded person went to the Syrian Red Crescent Hospital, reported SANA news agency.
Syria’s Interior Ministry has now provided an update on the bomb blast in Damascus:
Reporting from Damascus, Syria
Search dogs are here looking for any other possible explosives. What security sources are telling us is a person went into the cafe, placed an improvised explosive device under a table and then left trying actually to reach the courthouse and possibly carry out more attacks.
That’s not exactly clear yet. We’re trying to get more confirmation about the identity of the person. But it’s quite a tense situation here in Damascus. This is the second time since May that this kind of explosion has happened.
A building belonging to the Ministry of Defence was targeted at that time.
Reporting from Damascus, Syria
There has been a very tense security situation here. The police as well as military intelligence have been here on the scene creating a security zone around the area of the attack.
The central courthouse is in this neighbourhood and the explosion happened in a cafe about 100 metres away from the main entrance of the building.
People use this entrance to take care of business in the courthouse. Many employees, as well as people who come to the courthouse, sit in this cafe. It is a very famous cafe here in the central part of Damascus.
A bomb blast at a crowded cafe in central Damascus killed at least five people and wounded 16.
Syrian state TV said the explosion was near the Palace of Justice in the centre of Syria’s capital.
There were no other immediate details on the apparent attack or claim of responsibility.
State news agency SANA reported the number of dead and injured, citing the head of Syria’s emergency health services.
The blast in central Damascus that killed at least four people was caused by a bomb, news report says.
At least 10 people wounded in the blast, as well as four killed, Dr Ahmed Al-Bakour, director of Ambulance and Emergencies at Syria’s Health Ministry, tells SANA news agency.
An AFP correspondent reports seeing ambulances weaving their way through traffic with sirens sounding as they headed to the area of the blast.
A Syrian security source also confirmed the explosion to the news agency.
The state news agency SANA earlier said authorities are working to determine the source of the blast.
The Syrian state news agency reports at least four people have been killed in the blast in the capital.
Video from the scene shows bodies on the ground after the explosion went off.
Syria television reports the blast occurred at a cafe frequented by lawyers in Damascus. It remains unclear how many people are injured or killed.
Syria’s Internal Security Forces cordoned off the area to prevent access to the site of the explosion in Damascus, media reports said.
The powerful explosion, which took place at the entrance of the cafe located between the Hejaz Railway and the Palace of Justice, resulted in numerous injuries, according to initial reports.
The wounded are being taken to nearby hospitals. Images shared on social media show severe damage to the cafe and injured people in the vicinity. The nature of the blast is not immediately clear.
An explosion has taken place inside a cafe in the Syrian capital, Damascus, according to state media.
The blast occurred in the Hejaz area of Damascus on Thursday, SANA news agency reported. Injuries were reported.
State-run Al-Ikhbariah TV said the nature of the blast was not immediately clear.
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