At least 8 killed in mortar attacks on Syrian capital

At least eight people were killed and 20 others wounded Sunday when mortar shells struck residential neighborhoods in Damascus, a well-informed source told Xinhua.

The fresh shelling targeted the old city of Damascus, including a restaurant, the upscale neighborhood of Malki and the Christian-dominated district of Bab Tuma.

Sources from Bab Tuma said the authorities sealed off streets in Old Damascus to allow an easy move for the ambulances.

Most of the wounded in the attack were taken to the French Hospital in the nearby Qassa area.

The mortar, which landed on a restaurant in the Qaimariyeh neighborhood in Old Damascus, caused a state of chaos, as the wounded were being taken to hospitals.

The attack is the first major one to hit the capital since February, when a "regime of calm" was reached between the Syrian forces and the rebels following a U.S.-Russian deal.

It wasn't clear what has triggered the new attack, but clashes were raging in another hotspot in the northern rim of the capital, followed by news reports from the official SANA news agency that the rebels blew up the water line feeding the capital with drinking water.

It added that the maintenance workers rushed to fix the damage caused by the explosion of the water line.

Damascus was almost the sole beneficiary of the several truce deals and cessation of hostilities that have been recently declared.

The abandoned streets in the evenings have regained their lost glamour over the past few months, however the new mortar attack could threaten the peace felt by Damascenes recently. Endit