Syrian rebels bombed a military complex in Damascus yesterday, striking at the heart of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s power and igniting a fire that gutted the army command headquarters.
The Free Syrian Army, the main rebel force fighting to overthow al-Assad, claimed responsibility for the attack, which it said killed dozens of people.
However, an armed forces statement said military leaders were unhurt and only a number of guards were wounded in the blasts, which shook the whole city at about 7am before regular working hours.
It was the biggest attack in Damascus since July 18 when a blast killed several senior security officials, including al-Assad’s brother-in-law, and the defense and interior ministers.
That attack paved the way for a rebel advance into the center of the capital, although they have since been pushed back to the outskirts.
Internet footage of yesterday’s fire at the General Staff Command Building in central Umayad Square showed flames engulfing its upper floors, indicating explosives were planted inside the building itself.
The main gate was completely blackened from the fire and all the windows of the building were blown out. Shards of glass littered the nearby streets, Reuters television footage showed.
The blast gouged a deep crater, apparently where an explosive-laden car blew up.
Residents reported that gunfire rattled around the district for at least two hours after the explosions. Roads in the area were blocked off as ambulances rushed to the scene.
Beijing’s continued provocations in the Taiwan Strait reveal its intention to unilaterally change the “status quo” in the area, the US Department of State said on Saturday, calling for a peaceful resolution to cross-strait issues. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) reported that four China Coast Guard patrol vessels entered restricted and prohibited waters near Kinmen County on Friday and again on Saturday. A State Department spokesperson said that Washington was aware of the incidents, and urged all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from unilaterally changing the “status quo.” “Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is in line with our [the
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READY TO WORK: Taiwan is eager to cooperate and is hopeful that like-minded states will continue to advocate for its inclusion in regional organizations, Lai said Maintaining the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region must be a top priority, president-elect William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after meeting with a delegation of US academics. Leaders of the G7, US President Joe Biden and other international heads of state have voiced concerns about the situation in the Strait, as stability in the region is necessary for a safe, peaceful and prosperous world, Lai said. The vice president, who is to be inaugurated in May, welcomed the delegation and thanked them for their support for Taiwan and issues concerning the Strait. The international community
COOPERATION: Two crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank off Kinmen were rescued, two were found dead and another two were still missing at press time The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) was yesterday working with Chinese rescuers to find two missing crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank southwest of Kinmen County yesterday, killing two crew. The joint operation managed to rescue two of the boat’s six crewmembers, but two were already dead when they were pulled from the water, the agency said in a statement. Rescuers are still searching for two others from the Min Long Yu 61222, a boat registered in China’s Fujian Province that capsized and sank 1.03 nautical miles (1.9km) southwest of Dongding Island (東碇), it added. CGA Director-General Chou Mei-wu (周美伍) told a