Member of MUB Presidential Council Echoua Gouriye: St. Elias Church attack aims to drive Christians out of Syria

DARAMSUQ (DAMASCUS) — Echoua Gouriye, member of the Presidential Board of the Bethnahrin National Council (Mawtbo Umthoyo d’Bethnahrin, MUB), stated that the suicide bombing targeting worshippers at Mar Elias Church on June 22 was not an isolated incident. He pointed to repeated pressures on Christian communities in Syria, referencing previous attacks such as the assault on the Christmas tree in the town of al-Suqaylabiyah in Hama countryside and the vandalism of the cross in Wadi al-Nasara (Valley of Christians). 

Gouriye called on the Syrian government to reveal the full truth about the bombing. While the government blamed ISIS for the attack, a group known as “Saraya Ansar al-Sunna” claimed responsibility, accusing the government of lying to and deceiving the Syrian people. 

He expressed his belief that such attacks are orchestrated by extremist Islamist groups and dark forces seeking to eliminate Christian populations and their identity in Syria and the broader the Middle East. He compared the situation to Iraq, where Christians were forced to flee Mosul and the Nineveh Plains after ISIS seized control, suggesting the same strategy is being used now — to empty the region of Christians and seize their property and heritage. 

Gouriye also revealed that members of the Levantine National Council (LNC) received threats in Daramsuq (Damascus) by phone and through the media following a recent conference, allegedly from individuals linked to Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). He said that the Syrian government denied any connection to these threats and claimed to be unaware of who made them. However, Gouriye indicated that the timing of the threats, coming shortly before the Mar Elias Church bombing, raises serious suspicions within the Christian community and cannot be considered a coincidence. 

He noted an increase in Christian unity following the attack and stressed that the Syrian government must take concrete steps to reassure Christians and restore their sense of safety — or else their fear and insecurity will only deepen. 

Gouriye concluded by calling for a constitution that guarantees the rights of all Syrian communities, ensures fair political representation in a decentralized government, recognizes the historical identity of Christians, affirms the Syriac language alongside other Christian languages, and provides lasting safety and security for Christians in Syria.