Jihadist Group Claims Responsibility for Damascus Church Attack

The jihadist group Saraya Ansar al-Sunna has claimed responsibility for the suicide attack on the Orthodox Church of Prophet Elijah in Damascus, which occurred on Sunday.

In a message posted on social media, the organization claimed the attack was in retaliation for what it described as "provocations by Christians in Damascus" and threatened further attacks.

Syrian authorities had initially accused a member of the jihadist Sunni organization Islamic State for the attack, with Interior Minister Anas Khattab announcing an operation against "core locations" of the organization.

Saraya Ansar al-Sunna, with only a few hundred followers on Telegram, rejected the claims, calling them "false and fabricated."

The group has claimed responsibility for a previous attack in February in the village of Arzah and has threatened individuals associated with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Syria's transitional president, Ahmad al-Sara, had pledged to punish those responsible for the attack.