Deadly car bomb explodes in Assad stronghold in Syria

A car bomb exploded at a busy intersection in the Syrian coastal city of Latakia on Tuesday, killing a civilian and wounding 14, Syrian state-run media said.

By AP

A state-run TV station in Syria said an explosion occurred mid-afternoon on Tuesday in the city’s Al-Hammam Square, which is usually crowded with people. It said specialized units dismantled a second bomb before it detonated in the same location.

Footage broadcast on TV showed people gathered around the wreckage of a smoldering car.

Latakia has been a government stronghold since the Syrian conflict began in March 2011.

The blast came two days after an explosion struck a neighborhood in the capital Damascus, in which state media said there were no casualties.

The explosions shattered a sense of relative calm in government-controlled areas that had somewhat stabilized after major advances by troops against insurgents in different parts of the country with Russian and Iranian help.

Syria’s civil war has killed nearly half a million people and forced more than half its pre-war population from their homes.