Explosive Device Hits Security Forces Bus Near Damascus

An explosive device struck a bus carrying Internal Security Forces personnel near the Syrian capital Damascus on Saturday, injuring several passengers, state media reported.

The blast targeted the bus on the Maarounah–al-Tal road in the Damascus countryside, according to Syria’s state news agency SANA.

Authorities have launched an investigation and are working to identify those responsible for the attack, SANA reported, without providing further details on the number or severity of the injuries.

Images released by the agency showed a heavily damaged bus on the side of the road, with several windows shattered and one of its doors blown out. Broken glass was visible across the front section of the vehicle.

The attack comes as Syria’s new Islamist authorities continue to face security challenges following the overthrow of longtime President Bashar al-Assad in late 2024.

Damascus and surrounding areas have experienced several attacks in recent months.

Earlier this month, a bus blast in Jaramana, a town near Damascus with Christian and Druze communities, injured 14 people.

In July, two explosions occurred near a hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron had been staying during a visit to Syria. Macron was not at the facility at the time. The blasts killed one person and injured 36 others.

Syrian authorities later said they had arrested suspects over the attack and identified them as members of the Islamic State group.