Damascus: Thirteen people were killed and many injured when an explosive-laden car exploded in Syria’s Homs province Thursday, the interior ministry said.
The explosion came just hours after a booby-trapped car exploded in the central Hama province, which killed four people and wounded 22, Xinhua reported.
Mortar shells fired by rebels landed in the heart of the capital Damascus, near the Saudi embassy, causing injuries, the official Syrian TV reported.
The embassy is empty as Saudi Arabia has withdrawn its diplomatic mission from Syria to protest against what it called the Syrian government’s crackdown on protesters, the report said.
The violence flared up as the Syrian army is closing in on rebels in the key strategic town of Yabroud, north of Damascus, which is believed to house over 10,000 rebel fighters.