The Damascus church bombing shattered more than lives

Weakenesses exposed

The outrage stems not only from what happened, but from growing fears about what might come next. Despite a visible security presence in Damascus, the bombing exposed serious weaknesses in how these forces are actually operating.

These vulnerabilities are apparent even to the untrained eye. On recent visits to Syria, I passed through military checkpoints across multiple provinces without once being properly stopped or searched. Security personnel typically wave vehicles through without verifying identification or inspecting their contents—an approach that is more performative than preventative.

Conversations with well-placed sources indicate that the transitional government's ability to thwart past Islamic State (IS) attacks has depended heavily on intelligence gathering rather than robust security protocols. When a credible threat emerges, measures tighten. But in the absence of specific warnings, enforcement becomes lax.

The attack on St. Elias Church underscores the danger of this approach: when intelligence fails, there are no fallback systems to prevent an assailant from reaching their target or inflicting maximum harm.

In the days following the attack, I found myself weighing the risk of an attack on every street I walked, every building I entered.

Predictable violence

What makes this even more unsettling is the unpredictable nature of such violence. This time, the target was a church; next time, it could be a hospital, a school, a market, or a hotel. That fear now grips Damascus—and it's spreading fast. In the days after the bombing, I could not help but scan every street I walked and every building I entered, silently calculating the chances of another attack.

The true toll of such attacks goes beyond the immediate casualties, tragic as they are. They undermine the very foundation of public trust in the transitional government—a trust essential for rebuilding a nation fractured by war. Without it, recovery remains elusive.

Syria's transitional authorities must understand that security is not only about stopping threats—it is about rebuilding confidence. The country's future depends on more than promises; it requires visible, sustained action. That means tightening checkpoint protocols, rethinking intelligence coordination, and ensuring that all communities—regardless of faith or background—feel genuinely protected.

If Syria's transitional government hopes to chart a credible path forward, it must first demonstrate that it can keep its people safe. Without that foundation, there can be no stable transition and no meaningful recovery.