Syria foils bus bombing amid security fragility in Damascus

Syrian authorities claimed on Friday that they had foiled an attempt to bomb a passenger bus on the outskirts of Damascus, the latest security incident in a series of events that have shaken the capital and its surroundings in recent days. The Syrian state-run television channel, al-Ikhbariya TV, reported that security forces discovered an explosive device planted inside a bus in the al-Wurud area, northwest of Damascus, before it could detonate. Engineering teams successfully removed and evacuated the device without causing any damage. The attempted bombing came after three security personnel were wounded in an attack on Friday at a checkpoint in Jaramana, a suburb of Damascus. According to the Syrian news agency SANA, two men riding a motorcycle were stopped for a routine identity check before one of them threw two hand grenades at the security personnel, wounding three officers. Authorities have not yet announced whether the suspects have been arrested. On Thursday, a bombing at a café near the Justice Palace in central Damascus killed nine people and wounded 20 others. The interior authorities described the incident as a terrorist attack involving an improvised explosive device weighing approximately one kilogram and containing metal fragments. Forensic teams are reviewing CCTV footage and interviewing witnesses, the authorities said. No group has claimed responsibility for the three incidents, and authorities have not indicated whether they are linked. The spate of incidents comes as Syrian authorities continue efforts to maintain stability following the political transition that occurred after the collapse of the previous government in late 2024.