Five die in Damascus blast

A bomb has exploded in the Syrian capital, killing at least five people, activists and state media said.

The blast appears to have targeted a restaurant, according to photographs released by the state-run news agency SANA.

SANA and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights activist group said the blast occurred late yesterday in the Damascus neighbourhood of Qaboun.

Qaboun has been the site of anti-government protests since the uprising against president Bashar Assad’s regime began in March last year.

The tightly controlled Syrian capital has been hit by a wave of explosions, mostly targeting security agencies.