DAMASCUS: Syrian security forces have uncovered a secret cache of explosives linked to the militant cell responsible for the July 7 bombings in Damascus, the Interior Ministry said on Friday, adding that investigations were continuing to identify any remaining hideouts connected to the network.
In a statement carried by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), the ministry said interrogations of members of the cell led investigators to the concealed storage site, where security forces seized a number of explosive devices allegedly prepared for use in a series of planned attacks.
Engineering teams safely dismantled and defused the explosives after the site was raided by Internal Security forces, the ministry said.
The discovery came a day after authorities announced the arrest of all members of the cell allegedly responsible for two explosions that struck central Damascus on July 7.
Brig. Gen. Ahmad al-Dalati, commander of Internal Security in the Damascus countryside, said preliminary investigations indicated the group was affiliated with the Daesh, also known as the Islamic State militant group.
Speaking to Syria’s Al-Ikhbariya television, al-Dalati said investigators launched an immediate inquiry after the bombings, reviewing surveillance footage that enabled authorities to identify one suspect and subsequently track down the remaining members of the network.
He said the arrests followed coordinated operations carried out by Internal Security forces and the General Intelligence Service’s Counterterrorism Directorate, with simultaneous raids in several districts of Damascus and its outskirts, including al-Husseiniyah and Esh al-Warwar.
Interior Minister Anas Khattab said the cell responsible for the attacks was now in custody.
The July 7 explosions occurred near the Four Seasons Hotel and the Ministry of Tourism while French President Emmanuel Macron was visiting Damascus for talks with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Macron had already left the hotel when the blasts occurred and was on his way to the presidential palace.
One person was killed and 36 others were injured in the explosions. Syrian authorities said one improvised explosive device had been concealed in a rubbish container and another in a vehicle parked nearby. The Interior Ministry also said two additional explosive devices detonated while bomb disposal specialists were preparing to neutralize them during follow-up operations.
Despite the attack, Macron continued with his visit, becoming the first European Union head of state to travel to Syria since the overthrow of former president Bashar Assad in late 2024. At a joint news conference, Macron said the bombings should not derail efforts to stabilize Syria, while Sharaa praised the French leader’s decision to proceed with the visit.
The Damascus bombings were the second such attack in the capital this month, following a July 2 explosion at a café that killed 10 people.
Although Daesh lost the territory it once controlled in Syria and Iraq by 2019, the group continues to operate through sleeper cells capable of carrying out deadly attacks. Syria’s new authorities have intensified counterterrorism operations as they seek to restore security following Assad’s ouster.
