Car bomb rocks Damascus in wave of violence
BEIRUT — A car bomb exploded in a central Damascus neighborhood Tuesday, possibly killing the driver, while explosions were also reported elsewhere in Syria.
State media said the driver of the explosives-rigged car was injured and blamed terrorist groups for the bombing in Al-marjeh, near an Iranian cultural center.
An antigovernment activist witness said the vehicle was a military jeep and the driver appeared to be dead. He added that the pro-government Addounia TV station arrived on the scene minutes after the explosion, a common accusation leveled by opposition groups, who say it indicates government foreknowledge of such bombings.
State media also reported that two army officers were killed Monday night in a Damascus suburb when an armed group opened fire on them.
Explosions rocked other parts of Syria on Tuesday as the country increasingly slips back into fierce violence despite the presence of U.N. observers sent to monitor a ceasefire that does not appear to be holding.
In the ravaged Homs neighborhood of Baba Amr, security forces stationed at checkpoints fired into two adjoining neighborhoods, which also shook from explosions, an antigovernment activist group said.
The group also reported explosions in the city of Hama, which saw its worst violence in months Monday when government forces shelled several neighborhoods and fired on protesters, as well as in two towns in Daraa province and in a Damascus suburb.