Homs: Deadly explosion during Friday prayers inside Syrian mosque

The explosion in Homs targeted a predominantly Alawite area, a sect that has faced crackdowns and violence since the fall of former-President Bashar al-Assad.

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Pictures from Syria's state-run news agency, Sana, show the inside of the Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib Mosque with black, scorched walls, smashed windows and blood on the carpet.

Officials believe that an explosive was detonated inside the building, Sana reports, citing a security source. While authorities are still searching for the perpetrators, jihadist group Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah has claimed responsibility.

The mosque is in the Wadi al-Dhahab neighbourhood, where most people are part of the Alawite ethnoreligious group.

Syria's Foreign Ministry condemned the "terrorist crime", writing in a statement on X that the "cowardly act is a blatant assault on human and moral values" designed to "undermine the security and stability" of the country.