Health Ministry Revises Toll: Syria's Health Ministry says 14 people were wounded and there were no deaths in a minivan taxi explosion in Jaramana; earlier reports of two fatalities were rescinded after recovered limbs were traced to living surgery patients. Responsibility Claimed: A group calling itself Minbar Ansar al-Rasoul claimed the attack; authorities have not announced arrests. Wider Context: The blast is the third in just over a month amid sectarian tensions in Jaramana and mounting challenges for interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa.
Damascus Suburb Minivan Blast: Health Ministry Revises Toll To 14 Wounded, No Deaths
Syrian security personnel inspect damaged vehicles at the site of an explosion in the Jaramana suburb, home to a large Druze population, in Damascus, Syria, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdulrahman Shaheen)(AP Photo/Abdulrahman Shaheen)
Syria's Health Ministry said Friday that 14 people were wounded — three critically — and that there were no fatalities after an explosion ripped through a minivan taxi the previous day in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana.
What Officials Say
The ministry had initially reported late Thursday that two people had died. Authorities later said that those deaths were incorrectly recorded after three severed limbs were recovered from the wreckage. Further investigation determined the limbs belonged to living patients who were undergoing surgery, the ministry's statement said.
A man injured in a blast that Syrian state media said was caused by an explosive device planted in a minivan taxi in the Jaramana suburb, waits to be treated at Al-Mujtahid Hospital in Damascus, Syria, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)(AP Photo/Omar Albam)
Officials said the blast was caused by an explosive device planted in the minivan while it was carrying passengers. A little-known group calling itself Minbar Ansar al-Rasoul claimed responsibility for the attack. Syrian authorities have not announced any arrests or released detailed findings from their investigation.
Local Tensions And Recent Violence
Jaramana is home to a large Druze minority and has experienced periodic tensions between some members of that community and Sunni Muslims who support the country's Islamist-led government. Those tensions flared in April 2025, when at least 10 people were killed in sectarian clashes between Druze gunmen and pro-government fighters.
Residents gather near the site of an explosion in the Jaramana suburb, home to a large Druze population, in Damascus, Syria, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)(AP Photo/Omar Albam)
The minivan explosion is the third apparent bombing in just over a month, adding to a string of security challenges across Syria. In early July, two separate blasts wounded at least 18 people during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit; authorities later said suspects arrested in that case were part of an Islamic State cell.
Political Context
The attack increases pressure on interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who came to power in December 2024 after leading an insurgency that toppled the Assad family's long rule. Al-Sharaa has been working to consolidate control, reassure minority communities wary of his Islamist-led government, and win backing from Western governments concerned about his past leadership ties to groups formerly linked to al-Qaida. His government has pledged political and economic reforms after decades of authoritarian rule under the Assad family.
Updated casualty figures underline the challenges of reporting from conflict zones, where early information can be incomplete or mistaken.
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