A powerful explosion has gone off at a military airport on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus, according to witness reports and local media.
State-owned al-Ikhbariya Television said the explosion "resulted from an attempt to target the Mezze military airport." It has been relating witness testimonies of the blast that was heard throughout most of western Damascus on Sunday.
It took place in the Mezzeh district that is also home to several
embassies.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claims that
approximately 20 of President Bashar Assad's forces have either
been killed or wounded.
They reported the source of the blast to be a car bomb detonated
at a checkpoint near the airport, which also serves as one of the
major government elite force bases. It is often used for
transporting supplies and performing military operations against
rebels, as well as being a private airport for the Assad family.
Video footage captured by witnesses allegedly showed smoke and
flames rising from the area, as ambulances were seen
rushing to the scene.