A suicide attack Wednesday which struck at the heart of Syria’s
security apparatus killed defense minister General Daoud Rajha and
President Bashar al-Assad’s brother-in-law , state media
said. Syrian General Hassan Turkmani, a former defense minister and senior
military official, died of wounds sustained in a bomb attack in
Damascus, Hezbollah’s al-Manar television and a security source said.
Hafez Makhlouf, head of the investigations at the Syrian Intelligence
Agency died in the Damascus explosion, Al Arabiya reported citing Syrian
sources.
The bombing, which for the first time in a 16-month anti-regime uprising
managed to strike at Assad’s inner core, adds urgency to a U.N.
Security Council debate on Syrian sanctions later on Wednesday, when a
showdown between Western powers and Russia and China is expected. Officials said the bomber struck as ministers and security officials
were meeting at the heavily guarded National Security headquarters in
Damascus President Assad appointed Fahd al-Freij as a new defense minister right after the explosion. Five more of explosions were heard on Wednesday near the northwestern
Damascus district of Muhajireen, close to the base of the Fourth Armored
Division that is led by President Bashar al-Assad’s brother Maher,
residents told Reuters.It was not clear whether those forces were being targeted.Interior minister Mohammed al-Shaar and General Hisham Ikhtiyar, head of
National Security, were among those listed as wounded in the first
bombing, which came on the fourth day of an offensive launched by rebels
to capture Damascus.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights called Shawkat’s death "a severe
blow to the Syrian regime since he played the main role in operations
by regular forces to crush the revolution.”Syria’s army said after the bombing it would "continue fighting terrorism.” "The terrorist act increases the armed forces' determination to clean
the country of terrorist groups,” it said in a statement, according to
AFP.Rajha, a Christian, was defense minister, deputy army chief and deputy
head of the Council of Ministers. Assad himself is overall commander of
the military.Shawkat was deputy defense minister and a former military intelligence chief.The National Security branch -- a linchpin of Syria’'s security
apparatus -- is headed by General Hisham Ikhtiyar, who was also wounded
in Wednesday’s blast, according to AFP.The brazen attack on regime insiders came as battles raged across
Damascus and after the Free Syrian Army (FSA) -- comprising defected
soldiers and civilians who have taken up arms against Assad's forces --
warned the government to "expect surprises.”
Columns of black smoke rose over the capital, with the Local
Coordination Committees, which organizes anti-regime protests on the
ground, reporting that Qaboon and Barzeh neighborhoods were bombarded by
loyalist forces.It also said there was less traffic than normal in the city where
fighting has raged since Sunday, with the rebels announcing a full-scale
offensive dubbed "the Damascus volcano and earthquakes of Syria.” Regime forces and the FSA clashed in the al-Midan and Zahira districts
of Damascus as well as at Assali south of the city, the LCC said.
As many as 57 people have been killed by the Syrian forces across the
country, Al Arabiya reported citing activists at the Local Coordination
Committees.Rebel forces on Tuesday said the battle to "liberate” Damascus had
begun, as heavy fighting raged with the regime using helicopter gunships
in the capital for the first time.As the fighting inched closer to the regime’s nerve center, FSA
spokesman Colonel Kassem Saadeddine said "victory is nigh” and the
struggle would go on until the city was conquered "We have transferred the battle from Damascus province to the capital.
We have a clear plan to control the whole of Damascus. We only have
light weapons, but it's enough.” "Expect surprises,” Saadeddine added.Russia gave notice that it would not back a Western-backed U.N.
resolution on the crisis as it would mean taking sides with a
revolutionary movement."A decisive battle is in progress in Syria. Adopting the resolution
would mean outright support of a revolutionary movement,” Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Moscow.British Foreign Secretary William Hague said by contrast that Syria is
tipping into chaos and collapse, and that a strong U.N. Security Council
stand is needed to push for the creation of a transition government."It is clear that the situation is deteriorating rapidly,” Hague told reporters during a visit to Lithuania."The intensity of fighting is increasing, there are of course many
reports now of fighting every night in Damascus itself, and this is
reflected in the increasing flow of refugees,” he added.In Beijing, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon urged the Security Council to act to
stop the bloodshed in Syria, after holding talks with Chinese leaders
hours ahead of a vote on fresh sanctions.
Ban said the Security Council must unite and take action on the "very
serious” situation in Syria, after meetings with China’s President Hu
Jintao and Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.The Security Council will on Wednesday vote on a Western resolution
renewing the U.N. mission in the country that calls for sanctions if the
regime does not pull back heavy weapons.China has twice joined Moscow during the 16-month conflict to block resolutions critical of Damascus.Ban has already urged China to use its influence to back a peace plan by
U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, who is calling on the Security
Council to order "consequences" for any failure to carry out his
six-point plan.But China has repeatedly warned against outside intervention in Syria.Representatives of the Syrian National Council (SNC) -- an umbrella
opposition group -- met ambassadors from the 15-nation Security Council,
including Russian envoy Vitaly Churkin, to press them to back
sanctions.The current 90-day U.N. mission in Syria ends on Friday and if no
resolution is passed by then, it would have to shut down this weekend,
diplomats say.The Observatory, meanwhile, said at least 93 people were killed
nationwide on Tuesday, among them 48 civilians, adding to its toll of
more than 17,000 dead since the revolt erupted in March last year.