A Syrian soldier was killed when a car bomb exploded near a defence ministry building in Damascus, the ministry confirmed.
DAMASCUS: Syria’s defence ministry said a car bomb that detonated near one of its buildings in Damascus killed a soldier on Tuesday.
The ministry said the army had been dismantling another explosive device near the building in the Bab Sharqi area, before “a car bomb exploded in the same area, resulting in the martyrdom of one soldier and injuries to others”.
An AFP correspondent heard the blast then saw a car burning near a building affiliated with the defence ministry, near the capital’s Old City.
A civil defence source told AFP that “at least one person was killed in the explosion”.
And a security source said an initial investigation had found that the blast was likely caused “by an explosive device planted in a car”.
Security forces cordoned off the area.
Since Syria’s new authorities took over following the ouster of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in 2024, Damascus has occasionally witnessed similar incidents.
In June last year, an explosion in a Damascus church killed 25 people and Saraya Ansar al-Sunna, a little-known Sunni extremist group, claimed responsibility while authorities blamed the Islamic State group.
