Suicide bombers strike Syrian capital

Associated Press

DAMASCUS, Syria

Suicide bombers hit the main judicial building and a restaurant in Damascus on Wednesday, killing at least 30 people and spreading fear across Syria’s capital as the country’s civil war entered its seventh year with no end in sight.

The attacks reflect a renewed effort by militants to use insurgent tactics against President Bashar Assad’s forces in a bid to recover lost momentum.

The first attacker, reportedly dressed in a military uniform, struck inside the Justice Palace, located near the famous and crowded Hamidiyeh market. The explosion left bodies lying amid pools of blood and shattered glass in the building’s main hall, where a picture of President Bashar Assad hung on one of the walls.

The news agency SANA said another suicide explosion struck a restaurant in the Rabweh district of Damascus, an area known for its restaurants and cafes, leading to multiple casualties, mostly women and children.

Syrian TV showed overturned plastic chairs and tables at the restaurant with bloodstains on the floor.

The Ikhbariyeh TV channel said the attacker was being chased by security agents when he ran into a restaurant and detonated his explosives’ vest there.