Rare car bombs rocks upscale Mezzeh area of Damascus

A car bomb exploded in Damascus late Sunday, lightly injuring two people. The bomb attack took place close to a popular restaurant in Mezzeh, a heavily policed district of western Damascus which is home to key figures in the Syrian regime, Al Jazeera reported.

While many suburbs of Damascus fell under the control of opposition forces during the Syrian conflict and were battered by years of regime bombing, the upscale neighbourhood of Mezze has been mostly quiet during the war.

The whole of the Damascus region is now under regime control.

"An explosive device detonated in a civilian car, setting it alight without causing casualties," a police source told the Syrian regime news agency SANA.

The explosion reportedly targeted a pick-up truck and the police source said investigations are taking place.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, although surrounding areas of Damascus have witnessed occasional bombings, often targeting regime security forces.

At least 14 regime troops were killed when a shadowy rebel group targeted an army bus in 2021.

The Syrian capital is also targeted by frequent Israeli airstrikes, including when two Iranian officers were killed in two rounds of bombings of Damascus airport last Friday and Saturday.