Syrian state television said an explosive device had been planted at the cafe, near the Palace of Justice in the centre of the capital.
The interior ministry said preliminary investigations showed the blast was caused by a crudely made explosive device weighing about one kilogram and packed with metal shrapnel, causing severe injuries and extensive damage at the site.
Videos that circulated on social media showed wounded people and blood on the floors of a cafe, purportedly the site of the blast.
The attack presents another security challenge to the Syrian government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who took control after overthrowing former President Bashar al-Assad in late 2024.
Damascus has witnessed a handful of security incidents since then, including a car bomb that killed one Syrian soldier and wounded at least 18 people outside the defence ministry in May.
Although no group claimed responsibility for Thursday’s blast, Islamic State has sought to exploit the security vacuum created by Assad’s ouster by reactivating sleeper cells, recruiting fighters and moving weapons as the new government extends its authority across the country, security officials had said.
The militant group announced earlier this year what it described as a new phase of operations against Sharaa’s government.
The group is far weaker than when it controlled large parts of Syria and Iraq before the collapse of its self-declared caliphate in 2019. It remains capable of carrying out deadly insurgency-style attacks and is viewed by Syrian, Iraqi and Western officials as one of the biggest threats to Syria’s transition.
Sharaa’s other opponents include Assad-era officers and soldiers. In 2025, Syria was rocked by fighting between the new government forces and insurgents from Syria’s Alawite minority, and separately between government forces and Druze gunmen. (Reuters)
