Multiple bomb blasts in Syrian cities kill at least 13
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DAMASCUS -- At least 13 people were killed in a string of bombings inside government territory in Syria, state media reported Monday.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, which maintains a network of contacts inside the country, put the toll at 24 dead. Conflicting casualty figures are common in the Syria war.
The SANA news agency reported blasts in the coastal city of Tartus, the central city of Homs, the suburbs of the capital Damascus, and the northeastern city of Hasakeh.
Attackers detonated two bombs at the entrance of the government stronghold of Tartus along the international coastal highway, SANA said, killing five. A car bomb at the Arzoneh bridge was followed by a suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt who targeted the gathering crowd. The city, a stronghold of support for President Bashar Assad, is home to a major Russian naval base.
The Observatory said the twin blasts killed 14 people and injured dozens more.
The governor of Homs province said a car bomb struck a military checkpoint in the provincial capital, Homs, killing two soldiers and injuring four others, one critically.
An attacker detonated his motorcycle at the Marsho roundabout in the northeastern city of Hasakeh, killing five, SANA said.
The Observatory said the blast killed three members of the Kurdish police force, the Asayesh, and two civilians.SANA also reported an explosion in the Sabbourah suburb of the capital, Damascus, killing one. The Observatory said three people were killed.
