Casualties reported after attack on church inauguration in Syria

Aftermath of the attack on the inauguration of Hagia Sophia Greek Orthodox Church in Al-Suqaylabiyah, Syria, July 24, 2022. / Courtesy photo from inauguration participant

Denver Newsroom, Jul 24, 2022 / 09:48 am (CNA).

At least one person was killed and several were injured Sunday in an attack on the inauguration of a Greek Orthodox church in Syria’s Hama Governorate.

There are reports of one or two deaths from the attack, and as many as 12 wounded.

The July 24 attack targeted Hagia Sophia Church in Al-Suqaylabiyah, about 30 miles northwest of Hama. The church was being built as a replica of Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia by the governments of Bashar al-Assad and Vladimir Putin in response to the Turkish government’s converting that building to a mosque.

The attack has been variously attributed to rockets, missiles, or armed drones.

The Syrian Arab News Agency, the country’s state media, attributed the attack to “terrorist organizations.”