DAMASCUS, Aug 7, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Syria on Friday revised its toll for a bus 
explosion in Jaramana, near the capital Damascus, to 14 wounded and no 
deaths, after previously saying two people had been killed.

On Thursday, a blast ripped through a minibus in the town, home to Christian 
and Druze communities, with state TV saying it was a bomb, citing an official 
source.

Jaramana has suffered several incidents of sectarian violence since the fall 
of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in 2024.

The health ministry initially reported two people killed and 13 wounded, but 
in the early hours of Friday, Toufic Hasaba, an official at the ministry, 
told state TV that "the final toll reached 14 injuries", with three people in 
a critical condition.

The interior ministry reported the same toll.

What were originally identified as human remains were brought to a hospital, 
but these were later determined to belong to injured victims.

The interior ministry said that "specialised units moved immediately after 
the explosion to secure the scene, collect evidence and pursue investigations 
to determine the circumstances of the crime, identify those responsible, and 
bring them to justice".

Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said in a post overnight on X that 
"targeting civilians and attempts to undermine security and stability will 
not deter Syrians from continuing on the path of recovery and state-
building".

He pledged that "state institutions will continue to fulfil their duty to 
protect citizens, pursue those responsible for these crimes and bring them to 
justice".

Syria's Islamist authorities have faced significant security challenges since 
overthrowing Assad, with Damascus and its suburbs the site of multiple 
attacks and incidents targeting civilians.