Rebel Stronghold Shelled in Syria After Bomb Attack on Army Bus Rocks Damascus

Syria continues to be torn apart by a civil war that has been going on since 2011.

Smoke rising from a bomb blast site in Syria. Image used for representational purposes only. 

(File Photo)

A military bus in central Damascus was the target of a bomb blast that took 14 lives on Wednesday, 20 October, BBC reported.

According to sources in the Syrian-state media, two bombs had been planted on the vehicle that exploded as it was passing under a bridge in the morning, during peak rush house.

A third bomb that had fallen off the bus was defused by bomb squad engineers.

The Interior Minister of Syria, Mohammed al-Rahman, vowed to"pursue the terrorists who committed this heinous crime wherever they are", BBC added.

No organisation has claimed responsibility for the bombing as of now.

Approximately one hour after the targeted explosion, the Syrian military carried out shell attacks in Idlib, northwestern Syria, where rebels fighting against President Bashar al-Assad are still active, Reuters reported.

According to UNICEF, four children and a teacher who were en route to school died during the shelling, while rescue personnel claimed that around 30 had been wounded.

A human rights group in Syria said the attack was the deadliest in Idlib since March 2020.

Syria has been torn apart by a civil war that has been going on since 2011.

The war has numerous external actors like the US, Iran, Russia, and Turkey among others.

Russia and Turkey have both militarily intervened in the conflict, with the former supporting President Assad, and the latter supporting the rebels.

(With inputs from BBC and Reuters)