At least 12 people were killed and dozens injured, including children, as a result of a bombing that occurred on 26 December 2025 inside the Imam Ali Mosque in the Wadi al-Dhahab neighborhood of the city of Homs in western Syria, while worshippers were present inside the mosque. According to preliminary information circulating, the explosion occurred inside the mosque sanctuary, leading to a large number of casualties and causing extensive material damage at the site.
Circulated video footage showed the effects of the explosion inside the mosque, including the destruction of the internal structure, while the party responsible for the attack remains unknown so far. For their part, the temporary authorities represented by “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham” stated that the victims do not belong to a single sect, without providing additional details about the circumstances of the incident or the identity of the perpetrators.
Among the dead, the killing of the child Yassar Ismail (6 years old) was documented, in addition to his father Ammar Ismail, as a result of the bombing that targeted the mosque. The available information indicates that the victims were civilians present inside a place of worship, and that a number of them belonged to the Alawite sect.
Following the bombing, hospitals in the city of Homs issued urgent appeals for blood donation, and a number of medical facilities were converted into reception centers for donors.
This incident comes amid an escalation of violations against civilians from the Alawite sect in western Syria, including incidents of killing, kidnapping, and physical assaults. These developments reflect a troubling situation of continued violence against civilians, particularly religious and sectarian minorities, in the absence of transparent official information regarding the identity of those responsible for these crimes, and the persistence of impunity in areas under the control of the temporary authorities.
The incident also coincides with the spread of hate speech and sectarian incitement on social media, in addition to public takfiri rhetoric on some platforms, without the recording of clear measures to hold those involved accountable or to curb these practices.
