Eight killed in Damascus car blasts - but plot for mass deaths foiled

At least eight people have been killed and 12 others injured in a series of car bomb explosions in the Syrian capital Damascus as officials claimed they had foiled a plot to target crowded areas.

State media said a suicide car bomber detonated his explosives after being surrounded by security forces, and two other car bombs were intercepted before entering the city, suggesting those blasts were controlled detonations.