Booby-trapped car targets military institution in Syria

DAMASCUS - A booby-trapped car went off Wednesday in front of a military factory in Syria's central province of Hama, killing undisclosed number of people, the state- run SANA news agency reported.

The blast rocked the military factory at al-Buraq town in the countryside of Hama, SANA said, adding that the explosion rocked the area while workers were leaving the factory at the end of their working day. It said many workers were killed or injured, giving no specific number.

The blast came after earlier in the day a twin suicide car bombs ripped through the military intelligence headquarters in Palmyra area in the countryside of Homs province in central Syria. The Homs blast killed at least 32 people, local media said.

No one claimed responsibility for the Wednesday's blasts but al- Nusra Front, an offshoot of al-Qaida, claimed credit for pervious explosions that rocked military and security installations during the country's 22-month-old crisis.

The blasts were coupled with intense fighting on the outskirts of the capital Damascus Wednesday. Most of the clashes concentrated in Jobar suburb to the east of Damascus.

Details surrounding the Damascus' battles are murky with reports saying the army has unleashed a wide-scale operation against rebel strongholds while opposition activists claimed the rebels Free Syrian Army waged the attack in a bid to storm the capital.