Syrian prime minister survives bomb attack in Damascus

Syrian prime minister Wael al-Halki today survived a bomb attack that targeted his convoy in central Damascus, Syrian state media and Hizbullah’s al-Manar television have reported.

The blast killed at least six people as his convoy travelled through Damascus, state television said. At least 15 people were wounded in the blast in the capital’s Mazzeh district, the television station’s website said. The dead included a bodyguard, Rami Abdurrahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said by phone.

“The terrorist explosion in al-Mezze was an attempt to target the convoy of the prime minister. Doctor Wael al-Halqi is well and not hurt at all,” state televisionadded.

It had earlier reported that a “terrorist explosion” in the Mezze district, where many government and military institutions are situated and where senior Syrian officials live, had caused casualties.

A picture uploaded by opposition activists showed thick black smoke rising from the purported site of the explosion.

The Britain-based Syria Observatory for Human Rights, which has a network of sources across Syria, said initial reports indicated one person accompanying the prime minister had been killed.

Reuters/Bloomberg