Twin bombings kill 7 in Shiite district south of Syria capital

At least seven people were killed and others wounded on Saturday, when twin bombings rocked a predominantly-Shiite district south of the capital Damascus, a military source told Xinhua.

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

He added that 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 who donated himself near a checkpoint tens of meters from the site of the first blast.

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