Mortar shell lands near Iraqi Embassy in Damascus

Source : Xinhua

DAMASCUS, April 30 (Xinhua) -- A mortar shell struck on Tuesday the vicinity of the Iraqi Embassy in the Syrian capital of Damascus, leaving material damages only, local media reported.

Activists' Local Coordination Committees (LCC) said the rebels fired mortars at the Tishreen Presidential Palace near Abu- Rummaneh.

But witnesses denied the report, saying the shell missed its target and landed instead near the Iraqi embassy.

Earlier in the day, a deadly explosion occurred near the old headquarters of the Interior Ministry in Damascus, killing at least 14 people.

Also, two mortars landed near Damascus' Free Zone in the Jamarek area, the pro-government Sham FM radio said.

Meanwhile, according to the LCC, mortar round landed near a church located between al-Jazmatieh and al-Ghawas lanes in the capital's central district of al-Midan.

Explosions and mortar attacks have become increasingly common in Syria as the al-Qaida terror network has become active on Syrian soil, especially after aligning with the radical al-Nusra Front

Syrian Rebels Use Chemical Weapons – State TV

Source : RIA Novosti

BEIRUT, April 30 (RIA Novosti) – Militants in Syria have used chemical weapons against civilians with the aim of discrediting forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad, Syrian state-run TV said on Tuesday.

“Terrorists gathered together residents of the city of Saraqib at the city’s southern gates and released a powder of unknown origin amongst them, causing asphyxiation, tremors and other breathing problems,” a Syrian official said on air.

The official also said those injured by the chemicals had been taken to hospitals in Turkey in order to use the incident as the basis for accusing government forces of using chemical weapons.

Both sides in the two-year-old civil war in Syria have accused each other of using chemical weapons in recent months.

Damascus has refused to let UN chemical weapons inspectors enter the country.

The White House said in a letter to lawmakers last week that intelligence gathered by the United States, with the help of opposition forces in Syria, shows “with varying degrees of confidence that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons on a small scale in Syria.”

US President Barack Obama has called the use of chemical weapons in the conflict a “red line” for potential American intervention. The White House letter said the attacks very likely originated with Assad’s forces.

At least 13 people were killed in an explosion in the center of the Syrian capital of Damascus earlier on Tuesday, state TV and activists reported.

The United Nations says almost 70,000 people have died in the two years since civil war broke out in Syria.

Syria troops battle militants in Homs

Via : Strategic-Culture.org

The Syrian troops have carried out a series of mop-up operations in the western city of Homs, forcing foreign-backed militants out of the city’s flashpoint areas.

The Syrian armed forces destroyed a terrorist hideout and a workshop for manufacturing explosives in Jouret al-Shiyah neighborhood on Monday, Syria’s official SANA news agency reported.

The Syrian forces also inflicted heavy losses on foreign-backed armed groups in al-Qusour, al-Khalidiye, al-Dar al-Kabireh, Tal Dahab, Teldo and Kafr Laha in Homs countryside.

On Sunday, clashes erupted between the Syrian troops and militants in the district of Qudssaya, near the Syrian capital, Damascus. The Syrian army killed a number of militants many of whom were foreign nationals, SANA stated.

Terrorist hideouts were also raided by Syrian forces in the towns of Jobar, al- Shifoniyeh, al-Rihan, Harmala, Harasta and Barzeh al-Balad.

In addition, Syrian troops stormed a terrorist hideout in the town of Zamalka, about four kilometers (2.5 miles) east of Damascus. A large amount of weapons and munitions was destroyed after the fierce gun battle.

Similar operations were carried out by the Syrian army in the towns of Daraya, al-Hejjeira and al-Dhiyabiyeh.

The Syrian army has fully purged the town of Kimam in the strategic region of al-Qusayr near the border with Lebanon.

Syria has been gripped by a deadly unrest since March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of government security forces and army personnel, have been killed in the violence.

Damascus says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.

Missiles Fired at Russian Passenger Plane Flying over Syria

Source : islamicinvitationturkey

Two missiles were fired at a Russian passenger plane flying over Syrian territory with 200 people onboard, a well informed source in Moscow told Interfax news agency.

“Syrian [officials] informed us that on Monday morning, unidentified forces launched two ground- to-air missiles which exploded in the air very close to a civilian aircraft belonging to a Russian airline,” the source told the Russian agency.

The pilots managed to maneuver the plane in time however, “saving the lives of passengers.” The source of the attack remains unknown.

It is believed the aircraft was intentionally targeted in the attempted strike, “but it remains unclear whether the attackers knew whether it was Russian or not,” the source added.

The passenger plane was en route to Russia after departing from an unspecified resort city in Egypt at the time of the reported attack.

So far, the incident has not been officially confirmed.

Syrian PM survives blast targeting his convoy

Source : Xinhua

DAMASCUS, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Syrian Prime Minister Wael al- Halqi has escaped unharmed from a blast that targeted his convoy in Damascus earlier on Monday and killed at least eight people, pro-government al- Ekhbaria TV reported.

The explosion has targeted al-Halqi's convoy in Damascus' western neighborhood of al-Mazzeh near the Electricity Directorate and close to a park and a school, local media said, adding that many others were wounded.

One of al-Halqi's escorts is believed to have been killed in the attack, reports said, adding that big material losses were also caused to nearby buildings and cars.

The high-profile assassination attempt is the latest in a series of plots that have targeted Syrian officials and army officers.

Last December, the rebels staged a blast near the Interior Ministry in Damascus, targeting Interior Minister Let. Gen. Mohammad al-Shaar. The minister survived the attack, but sustained serious injuries before recovering in a hospital in neighboring Lebanon.

A deadly attack last July killed four Syrian officials and was considered as the harshest blow against the administration of President Bashar al-Assad. Those killed including Defense Minister Dawood Rajiha, Deputy Defense Minister Assef Shawkat, who is Assad 's brother-in-law, and Hasan Turkmani, Assad's security adviser.

Syria says rebels may obtain chemical weapons from Turkey: minister

Source : Xinhua

DAMASCUS, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Syrian Information Minister Omran al- Zoubi said that the chemical weapons used by rebels in a northern Syrian town were probably from Turkey, the state-run SANA news agency reported Saturday.

The remarks were made during al-Zoubi's visit to Moscow. He said the missile which targeted the northern town of Khan al-Assal in Aleppo province was launched from a rebel-held place, which was not far from the Turkish borders.

He added the Syrian government took the initiative to request a probe into the incident, reiterating Syria's support for letting Russian experts investigate the use of chemical weapons in the battered town.

Commenting on the fresh western allegations about the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian army in other areas, the minister said "the U.S.- British and western allegations in general on that issue do not have any credibility."

He held the western sides direct responsibility for what happened in Khan al-Assal.

The White House said Thursday that the "U.S. intelligence community assesses with some degree of varying confidence that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons on a small scale in Syria, specifically the chemical agent sarin."

Syria brushed aside the accusations and slammed Washington as trying to use the chemical issue to threat a repetition of the Iraqi scenario in 2003

Syria Seeks to Join Shanghai Group, BRICS - Minister

Source : RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, April 27 (RIA Novosti) – Syria is seeking to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the grouping of the emerging economies – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) in the future, Syria’s information minister said on Saturday.

“We would like to become one day the member of such organizations as the SCO and BRICS,” Omran Ahed al-Zouabi said at the meeting with Ilyas Umakhanov, Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council.

The minister said Syria would also like Russia to participate in the country’s reconstruction after the settlement of the Syrian crisis, which has claimed at least 70,000 lives and displaced millions in just over two years.

In the March declaration at the end of the BRICS summit in Durban, South Africa, the leaders expressed “deep concern” over the ongoing conflict in Syria and warned against any further militarization of the conflict.

Founded in 2001, the SCO comprises Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The organization consolidates efforts to counter terrorism and radicalization among member countries, and also works on othe policy areas such as politics and trade.

Afghanistan, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan have observer status, while Belarus, Sri Lanka and Turkey are classed as dialog partners.

Roadside bombs kill 2 in Syria, clashes kill 80 rebels

Source : Xinhua

DAMASCUS, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Two separate explosive devices went off Wednesday in Syria, leaving two people dead, while clashes with the Syrian troops resulted in the death of some 80 rebels, local media reported.

The first explosive device was affixed under the car of an Electricity Ministry official, and killed him promptly in the capital Damascus.

The second went off in the countryside of central Hama province on the Sahlab al-Hourat road, killing a passerby and injuring two others, reports said, adding that the bomb squads in the area have defused another bomb.

Meanwhile, as many as 80 rebels were killed in separate clashes with government forces nationwide, reports said.

In the northern city of al-Raqqa, some 50 members of the al- Qaida- affiliated al-Nusra Front were killed and more than 100 others wounded during their attempt to storm the Syrian army's base, said the pro- government Sham FM radio.

Opposition activists said the Syrian air forces were backing the soldiers on ground to keep the rebels from inching closer, adding that the base is the last bastion of Syrian government forces in al-Raqqa, which was overrun by the rebels last month.

Separately, over 30 rebels were killed on the outskirts of the northwestern city of Idlib after the Syrian troops targeted them in Jisr al-Shughur area, the Sham FM said.

Syrian Army Surrounds Strategic Town of Qusayr

Source : Al Akhbar English

The Syrian army continued to make advances against opposition forces, this time in the strategic area of Rif Qusayr along both banks of the Assi River near the border with Lebanon.

Qusayr has played a key role in the conflict due to its proximity to the Lebanese border, where weapons, supplies, and fighters are smuggled through the rugged hills near the Lebanese town of Ersal.

For months now, the opposition has had complete control of the city of Qusayr, with an ability to reach north to Homs and south to the northern suburbs of Damascus, where government forces are waging ferocious battles with the opposition.

However, the western banks of the Assi River – home to many Lebanese villages located inside Syrian territory – remained under the control of the army with support from the local Popular Committees, which are in turn backed by Hezbollah. The opposition nevertheless had the ability to cross over to the western side of the river where it enjoyed a strong presence in some villages.

The situation began to change around ten days ago when the Syrian military took the area of Nabi Mando, which not only overlooks most of Rif Qusayr but also contains a bridge connecting the two banks of the river. They also managed to take the town of Ibil to the north, effectively cutting Qusayr off from Homs.

The battles in these areas came at a heavy cost to the opposition. Calls for assistance appeared on their social media sites, saying that Syrian army and Hezbollah forces were closing in on Qusayr.

While some local sources suggested that the army’s offensive will not end until it has expelled the opposition from Qusayr, others said that the target of the operation is limited to isolating the city and preventing the fighters in it from either moving north to Homs or south toward the suburbs of Damascus.

At the same time as the Qusayr operation, the Syrian army carried out a similar offensive to the southwest of Damascus, where again the opposition lost ground and took some heavy casualties. Here again, the military’s objective is to cut off the smuggling of weapons coming from opposition-held areas in the Golan to fighters in the capital’s suburbs.

According to close observers, these military operations are part of an overall plan to cut off the opposition’s supply lines from Lebanon in the west, Jordan in the south, and Turkey in the north, while at the same time expanding what the regime is calling a “secure zone,” starting with the areas around Damascus and Homs.

(Al-Akhbar)

RedditTweet25 Send by emailPrinter-friendly version Tags Section: Mideast & North Africa Category: Articles Tags: syria, Qusayr, Syrian army, Damascus, Syrian opposition, Assi River Related Articles Battle for Damascus: Regime Fights on Four Fronts For two months now, all eyes were on Damascus as both the regime and the opposition readied themselves for a major confrontation to gain the upper hand ahead of a US-Russia summit in June. Inside the Assi River Basin Villages Photo Blog by: Haytham Al-Moussawi The villages that dot both the Syrian and Lebanese sides of the Assi (Orontes) River Basin have found themselves steeped in the Syrian conflict, divided between... Advertisement Published Monday, April 22, 2013

The battles in these areas came at a heavy cost to the opposition. Calls for assistance appeared on their social media sites, saying that Syrian army and Hezbollah forces were closing in on Qusayr.

Behind the Scenes: 4000 Militants Killed in Three Weeks

Source : http://www.almanar.com.lb

4000 members of the military and Takfiri groups were killed thousands were wounded during the last three weeks as was reve by military reports which reached the US military command and Pentagon circles this week.

According to many Western intelligence sources, the recent re coming from Syria reflected a significant shift of balance of mi power towards the Syrian government benefit. The Western sou expressed concern this change in the military field has caus devastating effect on the military factions fighting against the S army that many of them are fleeing the field, surrendering t government forces or joining them.

The G8 countries are mulling an initiative to propose a political sol to the Syrian crisis, this idea was further deliberated between th and Russian Foreign ministers, the initiative would be based on the of Geneva accord.

Sources close to the prime minister designate Tammam S expressed hope and optimism over a soon cabinet formation; how observers say it is not likely Salam forms his government in a future as many obstacles and detriments still need to be solved be that.

Syrian troops advance on several fronts nationwide: report

Source : Xinhua

DAMASCUS, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army is advancing on several fronts as part of its fresh wide-scale operation to wrest control over rebellious areas across the country, local media reported Wednesday.

The army now is breaking the siege on Wadi al-Daif encampments in northwestern Syria to secure the road between the central province of Hama and the northwestern province of Idlib all the way to Aleppo province, media reports said.

It also said that the road between the capital Damascus and the southern province of Daraa and the borders with Jordan is open, adding that the army is "cleansing" the road between Damascus and the central province of Homs in the areas of Jobar, al-Nabek and al-Qalamoun.

The operation has also included border areas near the Lebanese frontier, namely al-Qussair and Talkalakh.

The operation apparently aimed at securing network of routes connecting several Syrian areas as a prelude to besiege the rebels for decisive battles.

Meanwhile, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 12 civilians, including two women and two children, were killed by bombardment with rocket launchers on the al-Bweida al- Sharqiya town earlier on Wednesday.

It said three rebel fighters were killed during clashes with regular forces in the vicinity of the Abel town in the countryside of al-Qussair.

The Observatory also alleged that violent clashes broke out between regular forces and pro- government militants from one side and rebel fighters from the other in the perimeter of the towns of Abel, al-Bweida al-Sharqiya, Jousiya, Jobar, al-Dab'a, al- Sultaniya and al-Burhaniya. The clashes resulted in losses from both sides, the Observatory said.

It also claimed that fighters from the Lebanese Hezbollah were fighting alongside the government troops near al-Qussair.

Earlier in the day, an opposition activists in Homs told the Saudi-funded al-Arabiya TV that around 700 militants affiliated with Hezbollah were deployed to the Syrian town of al-Nazariyeh near al- Qussair in Homs.

Hezbollah has recently acknowledged that Shiite people living in villages between Syria and Lebanon have taken up arms to defend their areas against threats from the rebels Free Syrian Army, but the Shiite group has shrugged off allegations that it had sent manpower to back their Syrian ally, the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

Syria calls on France to stop interfering in country’s affairs

Source : LBCI News

Damascus has called on the French government to stop its intervention in the country’s internal affairs, after Paris considered the general amnesty issued by President Bachar Assad on Wednesday ‘void’ in terms that it does not exempt him from the crimes he has so far committed.

In a statement released by the Syrian Foreign Ministry, Damascus said the Syrian people will no longer welcome the French for their support of ‘terrorist cells’ inside the country. The statement also added that the general amnesty was issued on a significant date marking the withdrawal of French troops from Syria in April 1946.

On the other hand, the General Secretariat of the Council of Arab Interior Ministers of the Arab League, denounced the closure of the Arab Interpol Bureau based in Damascus, holding the regime responsible for the safety of its employees.

In the details, forces from the Syrian Interior Ministry stormed the office and tampered with its contents, taking over the bureau’s archives and expelling all staff before shutting down the entire building.

Meanwhile, reports emerged citing US fear of a rebel victory in Syria. According to the Wall Street Journal, the US administration believes that "Islamists would come out on top should the rebels win the fight". "Islamists tied to al-Qaeda increasingly dominating the opposition to Syrian President Bachar al-Assad, [will present] too swift a rebel victory [therefore] undercutting hopes for finding a diplomatic solution," the paper quoting officials from the Obama administration said.

"This assessment complicates the White House's long-standing push to see President Assad step from power. It also puts a spotlight on the U.S.'s cautious approach to helping the opposition, much to the frustration of U.S. allies including France and the U.K., which want to arm Syria's moderate rebels," the daily added.

Meanwhile, Syrian activists said a rocket attack by government forces has killed at least seven people in a village near the central city of Homs. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack on the village of Eastern Buwaydah took place Wednesday morning, adding that children were among those killed.

Eastern Buwaydah is located between Homs and the Lebanese border.

Observatory director Rami Abdul-Rahman reported heavy fighting Wednesday in the area between government troops and rebels trying to topple President Bashar Assad's regime.

This as the UN-Arab League Syria envoy Lakhdar Brahimi hopes to revamp his role as an international peace mediator in the Syrian conflict as a United Nations envoy without any official link to the Arab bloc, UN diplomats said on Tuesday.

Brahimi has become increasingly frustrated with the league's moves to recognize the Syrian opposition, which he feels has undermined his role as a neutral mediator, diplomats told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Another UN diplomat confirmed the remarks. There have been rumors circulating for weeks that Brahimi might resign, though diplomats said his preference was to remain involved in Syrian peace efforts through the United Nations, an organization he has worked with for decades.

Brahimi will present an update to the UN Security Council on Friday about the situation in Syria's two-year-old civil war, which the UN says has claimed more than 70,000 lives. "We expect Brahimi to offer another bleak report," a diplomat said.

The Arab League has suspended Syria's membership and last month invited opposition leaders Moaz Alkhatib and Ghassan Hitto to attend a summit in his place.

The Syrian National Coalition, an opposition bloc recognized by the Arab League as the sole representative for conflict- torn Syria, opened its first embassy in Qatar last month in a diplomatic blow to President Bashar al-Assad.

Assad said earlier this month that "the Arab League itself lacks legitimacy."

Daily death tolls in Syria of around 200 are not uncommon, monitoring groups say. More than a million refugees have fled the country and the Syrian Red Crescent says nearly 4 million have been displaced internally.

US-Israel led Al-Nusra-Front rapes the Free Army militants

Source : Islamic Invitation Turkey

Both Al-Nusra, that resides under the umbrella of Al-Qaeda, and the ‘Free Army’ have several times coincided and fought against each other on the loots, something which may not be new. However; local sources informed our network from inside the city of Idlib that a new milestone which can be considered as a turning point in the usual fighting since a month ago as the battalions and brigades of the rebels have withdrawn from the circumference of Wadi-Al-Daif and Al-Hamidiah strategic sites in Ma’arat-Al-Nowman town in Idlib countryside.

The source maintained as 10 of the ‘Free Army’ militants were kidnapped by Al-Nusra, those militants who follow their leader jamal-Ma’arouf in Idlib, were taken, tortured and sexually ‘raped’.The main reason of this incident was because of the withdrawal of the ‘Free Army’ militants from Ma’arat-Al-Nowman in a battle against the Syrian Army leaving Al-Nusra alone in the battle which caused them heavy casualties.Incidents of hostage- exchange have increased lately between the two sides along with mediators for the increasing tension especially where retaliation started to appear where every side now is only aiming to prove their domination and existence

Assad issues new general amnesty

Source : Tehran Times

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has issued a new general amnesty decree for crimes committed in the country before April 16, 2013.

"President Assad has issued decree number 23, granting a general amnesty for crimes committed” prior to Tuesday, the state news agency SANA reported on Tuesday.

The agency added that under the decree, the death penalty of the criminals will be commuted to a life sentence.

According to the President’s decree, Syrians “who joined a terrorist organization will only have to serve a quarter of their sentences."

"The decision does not apply to those who avoided conscription," the decree added.

Damascus has repeatedly called on the armed foreign-sponsored militants to lay down their weapons and engage in a dialogue with the government.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of army and security personnel, have been killed in the violence.

The Syrian government has said that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and that a very large number of the militants operating in the country are foreign nationals.

Several international human rights organizations have accused the foreign-sponsored militants of committing war crimes.

In an interview recently broadcast on Turkish television, Assad said that if the militants fighting against the Syrian government take power in his country they could destabilize the entire Middle East for decades.

“If the unrest in Syria leads to the partitioning of the country, or if the terrorist forces take control... the situation will inevitably spill over into neighboring countries and create a domino effect throughout the Middle East and beyond,” he added.

Residents of Syria’s Douma Protest against Militants, Army Continue Operations

Source  :  http://www.almanar.com

Dozens of Syrians in the city of Douma took to streets to demand the expulsion of foreign-backed militants fighting the Syrian government.

Syrian news agency, SANA, reported on Saturday that dozens of Douma residents marched against the presence of militants, due to the “escalation of terrorist acts which are making citizens lives difficult and dangerous.”

The agency added that the citizens marched in al-Jala'a street in the middle of the city, calling for armed groups to leave.

SANA’s correspondent reported that the people said they “were fed up with the terrorists' practices which resulted in a state of insecurity and misery.”

Meanwhile, the Syrian Army staged several operations against militants in several areas in Damascus countryside.

“Units of the Armed Forces killed and injured a number of terrorists in special operations in Jobar, al-Ryhan farms and al-Atyba in Damascus Countryside, destroying their vehicles and confiscating their weapons and equipment,” SANA reported.

Behind the Scenes: More than 1500 Militants Killed in Syrian Army Ambush

Source : http://www.almanar.com.lb

High officials in Western military services were very confused after the recent accomplishments last week by the Syrian government military forces in many areas in Syria; the most important of which was in Dara'a where more than 1500 militants were killed after they were strategically trapped during their movement from Jordan to Syria.

Credible reports talked about heavy clashes taking place between the different factions of the so-called military opposition forces. A recent report, which reached to UN offices, unmasked information about a major clash in Aleppo which led to the killing of more than 150 militants.

Well informed Russian sources expressed dim hope that the coming Russian-American summit between Presidents Obama and Putin could bring any positive results vis a vis the ongoing crisis in Syria. The sources said US can do a lot to stop arms sending to the takfiri groups in Syria, but is not willing to do so, because the war of attrition, and exhausting and weakening of Syria would suit perfectly well the American plans in the region.

Muslims Brotherhood has begun to divide Syria

Source  :  http://breakingnews.sy/en

Media sources revealed that the Muslim Brotherhood organization in Syria has begun moving as plan to divide the country in order to control the northern regions of Syria.

Lebanese newspaper As-Safir quotes of opposition sources that “the Muslim Brotherhood does not care about the division of the Syrian entity. Opponents attribute to the Deputy Comptroller General of the Muslim Brotherhood Mohamed Farouk Tayfur agreeing to «establish an entity in the Syrian North, and its capital is Aleppo, and managing that can be obtained, without waiting for the military option in Damascus..

The source says that the experiment in the ranks of the opposition is “a power struggle”. A Syrian opposition has said that the trends in the «coalition» began to coexist with potential management of Syria by the two governments an unspecified term, and may be divided. He announced h h d i h i ill b diffi l

Free Army militia will complete the training in Jordan at the end of the current month

Source :  http://breakingnews.sy/en

The newspaper "The Washington Post" of America that US and Jordan are based training "Syrian opposition, which has been used to create a buffer zone on the southern Syrian border line" according to a newspaper.

The newspaper quotes that "training began last year", adding that "Jordanian security officials have said it was due to complete the training about three thousand of the" Free Army militia" by the end of next June, but was provided deadline to the end of April".

Obama’s administration has sent about 150 U.S. military personnel to Jordan in the last year, but has repeatedly refused to comment on reports that they have trained armed groups.

Explosions rock Syria as Iran, Egypt underscore need for political solution

Source  :  Xinhua

DAMASCUS, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Multiple explosions rocked several parts of Syria on Sunday, leaving injuries and material losses, as Egypt and Iran stressed the need for a political solution to the country's long-standing crisis.

Two explosive devices separately went off Sunday in al-Mazzeh district of the Syrian capital of Damascus, killing at least one person and injuring an undisclosed number of others, local media said.

Both explosive devices were affixed under cars in the upscale district of al-Mazzeh, the pro- government Sham FM radio said, adding that the first one exploded before the crack of dawn Sunday and the other one went off in the afternoon.

The report stopped short of identifying the targets of the explosions, whose occurrences have become a daily routine along with the mortar shelling from rebel strongholds around the capital.

Also, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said two explosions shook the Tariq Halab neighborhood of the central province of Hama, adding the blasts were coupled with violent clashes between regular forces and rebel fighters in that area.

The Observatory stopped short of giving details on casualties and reported another big blast in southern villages of the western coastal city of Banias without giving a death toll.

Another car bomb ripped through a checkpoint setup by rebels at the Damascus suburb of Sbaineh, killing five rebels, the Observatory said, adding that violent clashes rocked the Damascus suburbs of al-Eteiba and Darayya.

Meanwhile, the state-run SANA news agency said "terrorists" committed a "fresh massacre" at al-Burj neighborhood in the central city of Talkalkh, killing 10 people, mostly women and children, and looting a number of houses and shops.

Quoting an official source in the area, SANA said the rebels stormed al-Burj neighborhood but the army later dislodged them.

Separately, the Syrian government on Sunday accused the rebels of setting fire to three oil wells in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, according to SANA.

The fire would cause a daily loss of 4,670 barrels of oil and 52 cubic meters of natural gas, said SANA, adding that the rebels set the wells alight after inter-fights over how to divide the oil.

The state agency said the authorities were working to extinguish the fire at the three blazing wells, noting that rebels have set fire to a total of nine wells in recent months.

Meanwhile, Iran's deputy foreign minister Hossein Amir- Abdollahian said that Iran supports Egypt President Mohamed Morsi' s initiative to bring an end to the Syrian crisis politically.

In press statement following a meeting with Egypt's Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr, Abdollahian said "Egypt and Iran have the same position and we all believe that the only solution for the Syrian crisis is a political one."

Also, he commended an invitation that was floated by President Morsi during a recent Arab summit in Qatar to hold a mini-summit to discuss the Syrian crisis.

For his part, Amr warned that "the killing and destruction that take place in a daily basis in Syria will deteriorate the regional situation," stressing that exerting more efforts to put an end to the crisis as soon as possible is in everyone's interest in the region.