At least 30 dead in Damascus blasts, Syria accuses Al-Qaeda

Two booby-trapped cars blew up at Syrian security sites in Damascus on Friday, state television said, and witnesses heard large blasts rock the capital. AT LEAST 30 were KILLED and 55 were WOUNDED I, MOST ARE CIVILIANS - LEBANON'S according to Lebanese AL-MANAR TV. Syrian state television said initial investigations indicated that al Qaeda was behind the attacks. A witness from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said he heard heavy gunfire break out after the blasts. The attacks came a day after the first wave of an Arab League observation mission landed in Damascus to prepare for an monitoring team that will check if Syria is implementing a peace plan to halt months of bloodshed. Syrian security forces have launched a fierce crackdown on nine months of anti-government protests. In recent months, the peaceful pro-democracy movement has been overshadowed by pockets of armed insurgency that have begun to launch what they call defensive attacks against Syrian forces. Friday's attacks hit a state security administration building and a local security branch, state television said. Last month, a small blast was reported near a Syrian intelligence building in Damascus, but there was little damage.