Bomb Wounds 3 Near UN Hotel in Damascus

A bomb exploded Wednesday in a car park outside a hotel used by United Nations observers in the Syrian capital, Damascus, causing injuries but not harming international monitors.

Syrian state TV reported that the bomb, attached to a fuel truck, exploded near the Dama Rose hotel and military buildings. The blast wounded at least three people, but Syria’s deputy foreign minister, Faisal Mekdad, said none of the U.N. monitors were impacted.

Mekdad said the choice of location for the blast indicates the “heinous intentions” of those responsible – a veiled reference to insurgents fighting to oust the government of Bashar al-Assad.

“This is terrorism,” Mekdad said. “It should be stopped. The international community must work hand in hand against terrorism. Once it hits here, near the United Nations observers, it can hit everywhere.”

The Syrian capital has seen a wave of bombings recently. This latest incident comes four weeks after an explosion at the National Security building in Damascus killed several of Assad’s top security officials.

The capital has seen fierce clashes between government forces and rebels in recent weeks, after being the scene of relative calm throughout much of the nearly 18-month-long uprising against Assad.