DAMASCUS: A bomb blast hit the capital of war-torn Syria on Sunday and a “terrorist” was arrested, state media said, in a rare attack in the city that has largely been insulated from violence.

The explosion came as another bomb in the northern city of Afrin killed three people and wounded nine others, according to a war monitor, on the first anniversary of a Turkish offensive on the Kurdish-majority region.

Also on Sunday, Israel said it intercepted a rocket fired from Syria after Dam­ascus accused the Jewish state of carrying out air raids on the south of the country.

State news agency SANA said a “bomb blast” had hit southern Damascus “without leaving any victims”.

“There is confirmation of reports that a terrorist has been arrested,” it said.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor, however, reported a “huge explosion” near a military intelligence office in southern Damascus left a number of people dead and wounded.

“The explosion took place near a security branch in the south of the city,” and was followed by shooting, said the monitor which relies on a network of sources inside the country.

“There are some people killed and injured but we could not verify the toll immediately,” it added.

It was unclear if the blast was caused by a bomb that was planted or a suicide attack, according to the monitor. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Syria is locked in a civil war that has killed more than 360,000 people and displaced millions since a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests in 2011 spiralled into full conflict.

With key military backing from Russia, President Bashar al-Assad’s forces have retaken large parts of Syria from rebels and jihadists, and now control almost two-thirds of the country.

The Syrian regime in May reclaimed a final scrap of territory held by the militant Islamic State (IS) group in southern Damascus, cementing total control over the capital for the first time in six years.

Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said that Sunday’s blast appeared to be the first attack in Damascus since a car bombing over a year ago that caused no casualties.

Damascus has been largely spared the worst of the violence during the country’s nearly eight-year war, but several bomb attacks have shaken the city.

In March 2017, twin suicide attacks claimed by Al Qaeda’s former affiliate in the country killed 74 people, including dozens of Iranian pilgrims visiting religious sites in the historic old city.

That was followed a few days later by bombings claimed by IS at a courthouse and restaurant that killed 32 people.

However, since reclaiming control of Damascus and surrounding regions, security forces have removed many of the checkpoints that dotted the city.

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2019