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Syrian security forces prevented an act of terrorism July 13 after discovering a vehicle packed with explosives near the Maronite Church of Mar Elias in the coastal city of Tartus.
Authorities discovered the vehicle, which contained weapons, explosives, and incendiary propaganda, around midnight, according to Zenit, a Catholic international news agency. Local residents and security forces worked together to capture the suspects and secure the area. The outlet did not report on the identities of the suspects.
The attempted bombing underscores a disturbing escalation of anti-Christian violence across Syria, according to reports from Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) cited by Zenit.
In a separate incident in southern Syria earlier this month, unidentified assailants attacked and set fire to the Greek Melkite Church of St. Michael in southern Syria, according to Zenit. The extent of the damage remains unclear.
That same wave of violence destroyed 38 Christian homes and displaced about 70 people. Zenit reports the victims are now sheltering in a church hall in the city of Shahba.
These attacks follow the June 22 suicide bombing of the Greek Orthodox Mar Elias Church in Damascus, which killed at least 25 people and wounded more than 60 who were gathered for the Sunday liturgy. The assailant was identified as a member of the Islamic State, according to authorities.
As CatholicVote previously reported, many Syrian Christians now live in fear, weighing whether to flee their homeland as threats intensify.
Church leaders and international bodies have repeatedly condemned the violence. On July 10, the European Parliament adopted an Urgency Resolution, calling for immediate measures to protect religious minorities. In March, the patriarchs of Syria’s largest Christian communities issued a joint statement demanding protection.
