3 blasts rock Damascus overnight, many wounded

Three explosive devices went off Monday evening at three districts of Syrian capital Damascus, causing injuries and property losses, the state-run SANA news agency said. All of the explosive devices were affixed under cars in the districts of Kafar Souseh, Jisr al-Rais area and al-Wurud, according to SANA. The agency said many people were injured, adding that the bomb squad dismantled a roadside bomb that was planted near a high-end restaurant in the Damascus' upscale district of Malki. Meanwhile, activists said that thick smoke following the blast were seen at al-Wurud neighborhood, which is a pro-government district with the vast majority of its residents belong to the Alawite minority. The escalation in explosions came just hours after five people were killed in a pro-government district of the central city of Homs by the explosion of two car bombs. Syria accuses extremist Islamists affiliated with al-Qaida of being behind the deadly blasts across the country. The Syrian conflict is ongoing between forces loyal to the Syrian government and those seeking to oust it. The conflict began on March 15, 2011 and has killed more than 90,000 people.