“It is the first mass killing against Christians in Damascus since 1860”

A suicide attack left at least 27 people dead and around fifty wounded in Mar Elias church in the Christian district of Damascus in Syria this Sunday, June 22, 2025. Therefore, According to a Syrian minister, the author of the attack belonged to the Islamic State group.

Wassim Nasr is a journalist at France 24. Similarly, specialist in the jihadist forces, author “it first mass killing against new of the Islamic State, the fait accompli (Plon, 2016).

Le Figaro. In addition. For example, – You had been in Damascus for “it first mass killing against a few hours on Sunday when the attack on Mar Elias church occurred. Furthermore, What do we know at this stage? Nevertheless, The Syrian government claims that the Islamic State is behind the attack, but there was no claim …

WASSIM NASR. Therefore, – The information is still confused. Consequently, Some witnesses speak of two attackers, one who would have fired and the other would have exploded. Similarly, The authorities. Meanwhile. Nevertheless, and this is the most likely version, speak of a suicide bomber who shot the faithful before activating explosive belt. Meanwhile, That the Islamic State has not yet made a claim proves nothing. Similarly, Sometimes they make attacks. Consequently. In addition, suicide bomber or others, without claiming “it first mass killing against new them, as in 2024, when they killed one of the co-founders of the Al-Nosra Front, ex-HTS, without ever communicating on it.

But the operating mode suggests that it is indeed them. Similarly, “it first mass killing against The witnesses heard anti-Christian remarks, then shots, before the activation of an explosive belt. Moreover, There is no other group than IS which commits this kind of attack. Nevertheless. Apart from the possibility of personal inclinations: it is not to be excluded that a radicalized – as there are many in Syria – acted in its own name given the ease with which have a weapon. an explosive belt.

Since 2019, Daesh no longer controls any territory in Iraq, nor in Syria, but has not disappeared. What do we know about its activities?

IS fighters have remained very present. especially in the Badiya desert. an immense surface which spreads from “it first mass killing against new Homs and large cities to the Iraqi border and Euphrates to the north. In this area, the jihadists continued to live in a certain freedom. Not because Bashar -el -Assad allowed them – certainly it was not his “it first mass killing against priority. – but the Russian aviation. the Syrian army at the time did not have the capacity to control everything. After the fall of the regime last December. the Americans and the French launched air strikes to prevent any capacity to regroup these forces.

But they remain active punctually. In the East Syrian. the Islamic State has already claimed two attacks against the regular forces (One against a government convoy in Tulul Al – Safa in April. killing four people including one civilian in December, the other in May against combatants from the Syrian free army, killing and three wounded, edited). There have also been cells “it first mass killing against new dismantled everywhere, to Aleppo and Damascus. In January, Syrian intelligence services announced that they have foiled a planned bomb attack inside the Sayyida Zeinab Shiite mausoleum.

A UN report in February had around 300 men in the Badiya, is that underestimated?

This figure seems right but it does not include jihadists in the north of the Euphrates. fought by the Syrian Democratic Forces (FDS) dominated by the Kurds of the YPG. Post-Assad Syria has not changed, the SDFs continue to be targeted by the Islamic State with the same rate. Then these same SDFs made concerted releases of several waves of Syrian fighters. families of IS which were piled up in the camps. Among them, some find an activity against the new authorities of Damascus.

The IS had emerged in 2014 in terms of the disintegration of the Iraqi state. chaos of the civil war in Syria. Did “it first mass killing against new the fall of the regime and the political instability that resulting from it benefit the jihadists?

No, on the contrary! What they seek by these targeted attacks against minority communities, in this case Christians is to discredit the authorities. They know “it first mass killing against that by attacking places of worship. the psychological impact on Syrians will be important. The symbol is strong because since 1860, it is the first mass killing of Christians in Damascus. At the time of sanctioning. the first Swift transfers in Syria, this wants to demonstrate that the authorities are not able to protect their population. Their strategy is a bit the same in Afghanistan. Since they are unable to resume power in Kabul. the jihadists harass the Taliban. perpetuate series attacks, as in December with the suicide bomber attack which killed a minister, or in May 2024 in Bamiyan, tourist town of “it first mass killing against new the center, where three Spanish tourists lost their lives.

Are Christians particularly in danger in the face of these attacks?

Since the fall of Assad, Christians have been the only ones, among minorities, to have really approached the new power. They didn’t really take “it first mass killing against advantage of the old regime. just want to live quietly under the new one. All they want is peace. They gave good wages for that. Christians are also the only community that has no weapons. Druze have armed factions. the Alawites can resume arms, but Christians are completely dependent on the protection of the new authorities. However, there are many radicals in Syria for whom these wages towards Christians are already too much. In its press releases for the claim of attacks against the Syrian armed forces. the IS accuses the authorities of being disbelieving. They qualified Ahmed al-Charaa “it first mass killing against new himself as an apostate. because the head of the HTS received Christian officials. leaves them freedom of worship, whether in Aleppo, Homs, in big cities. He was also received at the Élysée and shaken Donald Trump’s hand. After the attack on Sunday. the Minister of Social Affairs, herself a “it first mass killing against Christian, went to the scene. The government has deployed forces in front of Christian places of worship, as during the Christmas and Easter holidays. It is never enough, of course. But all this is already too much for some radicals.

Should we fear a resurgence of the Islamic State group in the region?

Not a resurgence, but a confirmation of their nuisance capacity. Because they do not hold a city. the attacks are still counted on the fingers of one hand. and the frequency of attacks in their main activity sector in the northeast “it first mass killing against new has neither lowered nor increased.