Twin car bombs have ripped through a Damascus suburb killing and wounding dozens of people.

Syrian rebels strengthened their hold on an oil-rich province bordering Iraq today, activists said, capturing a key military base which was considered one of the last bastions for President Bashar Assad’s loyalists in the strategic region.

At least 50 people have been killed by two powerful explosions that ripped through Damascus.

Dozens of people have been killed or wounded as two strong explosions ripped through the Syrian capital, state TV said.