Syria unrest: Damascus hit by two deadly blasts

Two explosions have hit the Syrian capital, Damascus, with state TV saying dozens have been killed or wounded in "terrorist bombings".

State TV footage of the blasts showed massive destruction in the al-Qazzaz suburb to the south of Damascus. Damascus has been the target of several bombs in past months amid continuing anti-government unrest. The last deadly blast was at the end of April, when some 10 people were killed in a suicide bomb attack near a mosque. The head of the UN observer mission in Syria is visting the site of the blasts, the AFP news agency reports. Television footage showed dozens of mangled and burnt vehicles, some containing bodies. A large crater could be seen in the road. The two blasts happened almost simultaneously. Heavy shelling There has been intense shelling by the Syrian army overnight in the city of Homs further north. The shelling in Homs has been described by opposition activists as the worst in weeks. Eleven United Nations monitors are now stationed in Homs to try to implement a ceasefire there. But a BBC correspondent in Homs says they have an impossible task, with both sides breaking the truce. The observers are in the country as part of the joint UN-Arab League peace plan and began deploying last month. There are now about 70 monitors in Syria as a whole, but their presence has had no effect in quelling the violence. Violence was reported in several parts of the country on Wednesday, including the northern province of Idlib and the city of Hama. The UN says at least 9,000 people have died since pro-democracy protests began in March 2011. In February, Syria's government put the death toll at 3,838 - 2,493 civilians and 1,345 security forces personnel.