Bombings rock Shiite district near Damascus

Twin bombings rocked a predominantly-Shiite district near Syrian capital Damascus on Saturday, leaving casualties, Syria's national TV said.

The two explosions rattled the sprawling district of Sayyidah Zaynab in the southern countryside of the capital Damascus within a swift succession, said the TV.

The first blast was carried out by a car bomb that went off at the al-Tin street, while the second was implemented by a suicide bomber at the nearby entrance of the al-Zyabiya area in that Shiite district.

No death toll has so far been given. Sayyidah Zaynab has seen several deadly exposition over the past few months, in which over 100 people were either killed or wounded.

The Sayyidah Zaynab contains a key Islamic Shiite tomb, which became a center of religious studies of the adherents of the Shiite sect of Islam and a destination of mass pilgrimage by Shiite Muslims from across the Muslim world.

Since mid-summer 2012, the district has been under frequent attacks and shelling by the ultra-radical rebels, who aim to attack the Shiite people due to their supportive stance on the Syrian government and their religious background about the Shiite-Sunni conflict.

As the district holds religious significance to the Shiite people, Hezbollah sent fighters to protect the shrine and manned checkpoints sounding it. Endit