Damascus (AsiaNews) - "The explosion that took place yesterday in front of the Greek Orthodox cathedral of Damascus did not have the church as its objective," sources in the Orthodox Patriarchate, anonymous for security reasons, told AsiaNews.
The bomb hit the Dar al-Ihsan Agency, a Muslim charity located approximately 50 metres from the cathedral in the Bab Sharqi borough, in central Damascus.
According to the sources, it is unclear whether the act was premeditated, carried out by a suicide bomber as initially reported by Syria's official news agency SANA, or a bomb detonated using a remote control.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the action, which left four people dead and dozens wounded, destroying several buildings.
An Orthodox Christian is among the victims. Several employees of the nearby cathedral were hit by shrapnel and are now hospitalised.
The sources pointed out that the church was not damaged. This morning, life in the neighbourhood was back to normal. (S.C.)