Two people were killed and 12 others wounded on Sunday in a rocket attack by Turkish-backed militant factions near a church inauguration ceremony in central Syria's Hama province, the Syrian News Agency (SANA) reported.
SANA reported that what it described as a terrorist attack targeted a "mass gathering" during the inauguration of the Hagia Sophia church in the town of al-Suqaylabiyah in the northwestern countryside of Hama.
https://twitter.com/acimenanews/status/1551193005524123648?s=21&t=O5NKZjZmJLe9UDFri6Iekw
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the shelling near the celebration, suggesting it may have been caused by a rocket or drone strike launched by active militant factions in nearby areas.
The agency reported, citing its correspondent, that "terrorists targeted with a rocket a religious celebration on the occasion of the inauguration of the Church of Hagia Sophia in the city of Suqaylabiyah in the countryside of Hama."
Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra) controls about half of Idlib and limited areas adjacent to the governorates of Hama, Aleppo and Latakia. Other less influential militant factions are also active in the region.
And as of March 6, 2020, a ceasefire has been in effect in that area, announced by Moscow, an ally of Damascus, and Turkey, which backs the warring factions, following a massive offensive by Assad's forces that allowed them to control large areas.
In September 2020, the "National Defense" militia in the town of al-Suqaylabiyah in the Hama countryside began construction work on the Hagia Sophia Church, with the support of the Russian State Duma.
In July of that year, Russian Duma deputy Vitaly Milonov said that "Orthodox Christians in Russia can help Syria build a replica of the Hagia Sophia Cathedral in Suqaylabiyah."
At least one person was killed and several were injured in a July 24 attack on the inauguration of a Greek Orthodox church in Syria's Hama Governorate. https://t.co/OhfmahBhOk
— Catholic News Agency (@cnlive) July 24, 2022
Source: ert.gr