Mar Elias Church holds vigil

Hundreds of worshippers gathered at the Greek Orthodox Mar Elias Church on the outskirts of Damascus ahead of Christmas to remember 25 people killed in a June suicide attack in Dweil'a. With a small security detail outside, congregants held Mass and lit a neon Christmas-tree installation hung with photos of the victims, including three men — brothers Boutros and Gergis Bechara and Milad Haddad — who are credited with tackling the shooter and likely limiting the death toll after he opened fire and detonated an explosive vest inside the packed church. Families described grief and reverence for the men, calling them martyrs, while others said the attack strengthened their faith even as fear of further violence persists.

The June strike — blamed by authorities on an Islamic State cell, though a little-known group claimed responsibility and the government said the claim was a cover — was the first attack of its kind in years and has heightened anxiety among Syria’s remaining Christian minority. The incident comes as a new Sunni Islamist-dominated interim government seeks to reassure minorities after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, but critics say it has struggled to control armed factions. Priests and parishioners said they are praying for peace while some contemplate leaving the country again amid continuing sectarian outbreaks. as reported by ABC News