2nd LD: Multiple bombings hit key Syrian cities, killing at least 33

At least 33 people were killed and dozens of others wounded on Monday when at least five explosions rocked several key Syrian cities, Syrian national TV reported.

It wasn't immediately clear if the bombings, which struck one day after government forces' recapture of key military targets from rebels in eastern Aleppo in northern Syria, were coordinated.

The first bombing happened in the central city of Homs at 7.14 a.m. local time (0414 GMT), when a booby-trapped car was detonated after being discovered by government soldiers at a checkpoint at the Bab Tadmur area.

Four people were killed and as many others wounded in the

explosion.

Had it not have been stopped, the vehicle could have caused much heavier casualties if the powerful explosives detonate inside the city, the report said.

The Homs blast left also property damage in an area almost deserted form civilians in that part of the city.

It said the explosion came as authorities and rebels in al-Waer were working to establish reconciliation that might lead to an end to insurgency in the neighborhood, the last rebel-held district inside the city of Homs.

In the coastal city of Tartus, at least 30 people were killed and dozens of others wounded on Monday, in twin bombings that rocked a checkpoint at the city's entrance, said the report.

An explosive-laden vehicle was detonated at the checkpoint of the entrance of Tartus, when it was discovered by military personnel, said the report.

Another explosion followed when a suicide bomber detonated his explosive belt among a crowd who gathered to help the wounded in the first blast, said the report.

The suicide car bomber had apparently planned to detonate inside the city but did so at the entrance after he was discovered by the authorities, the report said.

Both bombers, wearing military uniforms, were disguised as members of government troops, the military said.

It wasn't the first time Tartus, once one of the safest cities in Syria, was targeted by explosions.

On May 23, eight bombings were carried out by Islamic State (IS) militants in the cities of Tartus and Jableh, another coastal city, killing 184 people and wounding at least 200 others.

Also on Monday, an explosive-packed motorcycle exploded in the predominantly-Kurdish city of Hasakah in northeastern Syria, killing eight people.

The IS claimed responsibility for the Hasakah bombing, saying it had targeted a checkpoint of the Kurdish security forces, known as Assayish.

In the capital Damascus, an explosion rocked a road between the summer resort town of Sabura, and Bajaj, killing one man. Endit