New Car Bombings Kill Dozens in Damascus
More than 30 people were killed this morning when two coordinated car bombs were set off in a mostly Christian neighborhood in the center of the Syrian capital, prompting fears of a new "Battle for Damascus." As usual, both sides are blaming the other, though it is believed by many outside observers that the Assad regime is targeting minority civilians through non-military tactics in order to turn them against the rebel opposition.
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Fighting in the capital has increased in recent days, threatening one of the last strongholds of the regime. Some say that's causing Bashar al-Assad and his military to take more drastic measures, like the recent bombing of a hospital and a playground. Meanwhile, the rebels themselves have become more heavily armed. Video footage posted on YouTube on Tuesday appeared to show rebels shooting down a government helicopter with a heat-seeking anti-aircraft missile, a weapon not previous seen on their side.
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The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a watchdog group that has been monitoring the nearly two-year-old conflict, said that 105 people were killed across the nation on Tuesday.
