A powerful car bomb explosion has killed at least seven people and wounded dozens more in the eastern Syrian city of Deir al-Zour, state media reported Saturday.
Syrian state television said the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber. Television footage showed extensive serious damages to buildings as well as dozens of cars and other vehicles parked near the site.
The explosion reportedly occurred near military intelligence offices in Deir al-Zour. A Syrian foreign ministry spokesman suggested the device which caused the blast contained at least 500 kilograms of explosives.
Saturday's attack was the latest in a string of such bombings to have struck Syria in recent weeks. Experts say the latest bombings in Syria appear to bear the hallmarks of similar attacks carried out by international terror outfit al-Qaeda.
The Syrian opposition as well as a group of army deserters attempting to overthrow the regime headed by President Bashar al-Assad have denied any involvement in the recent bombings, which comes amidst a UN-backed ceasefire agreed by the Syrian government and opposition.
While the Syrian government is blaming al Qaeda militants and "foreign-backed terrorists" within the opposition movement for the recent attacks, the opposition insists that the attacks are being orchestrated by the government to discredit the rebel forces.
The deadliest of such attacks after the unrest against President Assad began last March was the twin suicide bombings that struck Damascus last week. At least 55 people were killed and more than 370 others injured in the twin attack.
Following the Damascus attacks, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said intelligence reports have indicated an active presence of al-Qaeda in Syria. UN secretary General Ban Ki-moon has also expressed similar concerns.
Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky said at a press conference on Friday that the Damascus attacks were clearly carried out by a group with organization and intent, stressing: "This means there is all the more reason for the violence to stop so the political process has a chance to begin."
"Some of the attacks we've seen certainly bear some terrorist hallmarks with which we are familiar from elsewhere - there is a genuine concern, shared by the Secretary-General, that terrorist groups are already taking advantage of the continued violence and insecurity in Syria," Nesirky said.
Notably, the attacks continue despite the presence of some 300 observers, belonging to the UN Supervision Mission (UNSMIS), in Syria to monitor the implementation of a peace plan proposed by joint UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan to end the ongoing violence in the unrest-hit Middle East nation.
Annan's peace plan calls for an end to violence, access for humanitarian agencies to provide relief to those in need, the release of detainees, the start of inclusive political dialogue that takes into account the aspirations of the Syrian people, and unrestricted access to the country for the international media. The UN estimates that more than 9,000 people have been killed in Syria since the unrest began.
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.