Three men at the heart of President Assad’s defence team have died in a suicide bombing, Syrian state TV has reported.
The president’s defence minister, brother-in-law and head of his crisis team were at a meeting at national security headquarters in Damascus.
No footage has yet emerged of the attack in which the national security chief and interior minister were also said to have been wounded.
It comes as rebels claim to have launched an offensive on the capital.
For the past three days, rebels have fought with troops in several parts of the city, declaring their operation, entitled Damascus Volcano, a final battle for the capital.
The rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) and a jihadist group calling itself Lord of the Martyrs Brigade both said they were behind the security headquarters bombing.
Security sources say the suspected bomber worked as a bodyguard for members of President Bashar al-Assad’s inner circle. (BBC)
