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Huge explosion rips through main Syrian courthouse in Damascus
Rebel forces attacked Syria’s main court in central Damascus on Thursday, state television said, while Turkey deployed troops and anti-aircraft rocket launchers to the Syrian border, building pressure on President Bashar al-Assad.
There was a loud explosion and a column of black smoke rose over Damascus, an Assad stronghold that until the last few days had seemed largely beyond the reach of rebels. State television described it as a “terrorist explosion” in the court car park.
The car park is used by lawyers and judges working at the Palace, Syria’s highest court. It was unclear if there were casualties in the attack on a potent symbol of Assad’s authority. (Photos: Reuters; AFP/Getty Images)
Syrian capital under siege as rebels clash with Assad government troops
Street battles raged at the gates of the Syrian capital on Monday as President Bashar al-Assad’s troops sought to consolidate their grip on suburbs that rebel fighters had taken only a few miles from the centre of government power.
Activists and residents said Syrian troops now had control of Hamouriyeh, one of several districts where they have used armored vehicles and artillery to beat back rebels who came as close as 8 km to Damascus.
An activist said the Free Syrian Army – a force of military defectors with links to Syria’s divided political opposition – mounted scattered attacks on government troops who advanced through the district of Saqba, held by rebels just days ago.
“Street fighting has been raging since dawn,” he said, adding tanks were moving through a central avenue of the neighborhood. “The sound of gunfire is everywhere.”
Graphic: The Syrian crackdown
Despite Syrian promises to the contrary, the embassies of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates in Damascus were attacked by pro-Assad crowds on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Arab world has given the regime three days to end its “bloody repression” of protesters.
