At least 8 people killed by 3 blasts in suburb of Syrian capital

At least eight people were killed Tuesday evening when three blasts rattled a suburb of the Syrian capital Damascus, the pro-government SAMA TV said. Reports said the blast were caused by three explosive devices that went off in a swift succession at a crowded bus stop in al- Worud square in Qudsaiah suburb. Ambulances rushed to the site as the flames spiraled and lit up the sky over the area, which is dominated by the Alawite minority, an offshoot of Shiite Islam to which Syrian President Bashar al- Assad and the ruling elites belong. This is the second attack targeting the Alawite-dominated areas in the country within 24 hours. A day earlier, a booby-trapped car went off in Mazzeh 86 area in Damascus and killed at least 11 people. The anti-Assad movement is backed by the majority Sunni Muslims, who have grown more hostile toward the Shiites.