Soldier killed, 12 wounded in Damascus car bomb explosion

The bombed-out vehicle is seen following an explosion in the Bab Sharqi area of Damascus, Syria, May 19, 2026. One soldier was killed and 12 other people were wounded as a car bomb exploded Tuesday near a Syrian defense authorities building in the Bab Sharqi area of Damascus, authorities said. (Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua)

DAMASCUS, May 19 (Xinhua) -- One soldier was killed and 12 other people were wounded as a car bomb exploded Tuesday near a Syrian defense authorities building in the Bab Sharqi area of Damascus, authorities said.

The authorities' Media and Communication Administration said an army unit had discovered an explosive device near one of its buildings and was attempting to dismantle it when a booby-trapped car detonated nearby.

Earlier, eyewitnesses told Xinhua that a powerful blast, heard across several districts of Damascus, originated near an old military headquarters in the east of the capital, with gunfire heard afterward.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the explosion occurred near the entrance of the Armament Administration headquarters in eastern Damascus.

State-run al-Ikhbariya TV had initially reported an explosion of unknown origin in the al-Dweilaa neighborhood in the east of the capital before authorities confirmed the details.

Since the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, Syria has witnessed a relative decline in large-scale frontline battles. Yet periodic explosions and security incidents continue, including car bombings, improvised explosive devices, ammunition depot blasts, Israeli airstrikes, and explosions from unexploded remnants of war left behind after more than 14 years of conflict. ■

Burned vehicles are seen at the site of an explosion in the Bab Sharqi area of Damascus, Syria, May 19, 2026. One soldier was killed and 12 other people were wounded as a car bomb exploded Tuesday near a Syrian defense authorities building in the Bab Sharqi area of Damascus, authorities said. (Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua)