Blast targets security forces' bus near Damascus, causing injuries: state media

On Saturday, an explosive device struck a bus transporting security forces personnel near Damascus, Syria, resulting in injuries to several passengers, according to state media. The attack occurred on the Maarounah–al-Tal road in the Damascus countryside, with the SANA news agency reporting that multiple personnel sustained injuries.

Authorities are currently investigating the incident and working to identify the perpetrators, though they have not provided further details at this time. Pictures have emerged showing the severely damaged bus, with its windows and one of its doors shattered, with debris scattered across the front seat. Syria's Islamist authorities have been grappling with significant security challenges since the ousting of former President Bashar Al Assad in late 2024.

Multiple attacks have taken place in and around Damascus and its suburbs, with the Islamist authorities facing mounting security threats. In August, a bus bombing in Jaramana, a town hosting Christian and Druze communities near Damascus, left 14 people injured. In July, two blasts near a hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron was staying resulted in one death and 36 injuries; the perpetrators were later apprehended and identified as members of the Islamic State group.