By DPA,
Damascus : At least 17 people were killed and more than a dozen injured when a car bomb exploded in Syrian capital Damascus Saturday, national news agency SANA reported.
The bomb planted in a car went off near a security-forces facility on the outskirts of the busy Sayyida Zainab district.
The explosion killed 17 civilians and injured 14 others who were shifted to nearby hospitals, the news agency said.
The Sayyida Zainab mosque, dedicated to a granddaughter of the Prophet Mohammed, is located near the blast site and is visited by Shia pilgrims, many of whom travel to Syria from Iran.
In recent years, many Shia refugees from Iraq have settled near the mosque, which is close to the road to the city’s international airport.
The last major blast in Damascus occurred in February, when Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyah was killed. The Lebanese militant had been sought by the US as a dangerous terrorist.