Nice allies, eh?

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — A suicide attacker blew himself up near one of the main churches in the Syrian capital Thursday, killing at least four people, state-run TV said.

The blast struck in the vicinity of the Greek Orthodox Virgin Mary Church in the predominantly Christian neighborhood of Bab Sharqi in central Damascus, according to state TV. It said several people also were wounded in the explosion, but gave no further details.

A government official told The Associated Press that the suicide attacker was wearing an explosive belt and blew himself up near the church. Both the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, and state TV said at least four people were killed.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack in Damascus, which has been hit by a wave of suicide attacks that have killed and wounded scores of people.

Churches have been targeted in the past, mostly in the central city of Homs and Syria’s largest city of Aleppo in the north.