Damascus: A suicide bombing in the Midan quarter of Damascus on Friday "killed and wounded dozens of people," Syrian state television said.
"The attack took place in a heavily populated working-class neighbourhood near a school," said the report, which showed footage of the blast scene. The attack happened barely a fortnight after two suicide bombers killed 44 people in the Syrian capital.
The "powerful explosion" struck in the Midan neighbourhood in the heart of the city, state television said.
The official Sana news agency spoke of casualties among both civilians and security force personnel and the wail of ambulance sirens was heard in the city centre.
The December 23 bombings sparked a swirl of claims and counter-claims over who was responsible, with the authorities saying they were likely the work of Al Qaida and the opposition pointing the finger at the regime.
The latest blast came ahead of planned mass protests by pro-democracy activists to demand that an Arab League observer mission in Syria for two weeks acknowledge its failure to stem nearly 10 months of bloodshed and hand over to the United Nations.
