A powerful car bomb exploded yesterday close to ruling party offices in Damascus, killing over 50 people and causing widespread destruction in the Syrian capital's deadliest attack for more than nine months.
The bombing, which rocked the city centre and sent thick smoke scudding across the skyline, was followed soon after by a mortar attack on a nearby military headquarters.
The attacks came as the opposition umbrella group, the National Coalition, was meeting in Cairo to discuss proposals to hold conditional talks with President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
Sirens rang out, and machinegun fire was also heard, as firemen rushed to the scene to douse the flames.
A police official told AFP the car bomb exploded at the 16 November Square near the Al-Iman mosque, where the ruling Baath party's head offices are located.
State television said the blast, which left a large crater in a road, killed 53 people and wounded dozens, making it the bloodiest in the capital since twin suicide bombings left 55 people dead on May 10, 2012.
Meanwhile, Syria's main opposition National Coalition was meeting yesterday in Cairo, with discussions centered on an offer by the group's chief to hold direct talks with the Syrian regime, a delegate said.
"The meeting of the Coalition has begun and will last two days," delegate Khaled Nasser told AFP. "The agenda is long and among the issues to be discussed is the initiative of Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib."
Coalition chief Khatib has offered to negotiate with officials of President Bashar al-Assad's regime who have no "blood on their hands" -- naming Vice President Faruq al-Sharaa as a possible pointman for the talks.