4 killed in suicide bombing in Syrian capital

At least four people were killed and many others wounded when a suicide bombing struck near the Mariamieh Patriarchate in the old quarter of the Syrian capital Damascus on Thursday, local media said. The patriarchate is located in the time-honored Bab Sharqi area and the blast apparently targeted a military checkpoint in the area, witnesses said. The state-media spelled no further details about the explosion. The blast came at a time when intense clashes in the suburbs of Damascus have recently renewed with sounds of shelling and battles reverberating into the capital from the inflamed countryside. Rebels said recently they had received weapons from their regional and international patrons that could reshape the battles on the ground.