Bombings kill over four dozen people in Syria

Over four dozen civilians have lost their lives and scores of others sustained injuries after a string of bomb explosions that targeted residential areas near Syria’s capital, Damascus, and elsewhere in the conflict-plagued Arab country.

Two bomb explosions ripped through the entrance to the western port city of Tartus, located 220 kilometers (136 miles) northwest of the capital, Damascus, on Monday, claiming over 30 civilian lives.

Syrian police sources said the first blast took place when a car rigged with explosives was detonated on a highway under the Arzuna Bridge. The second blast happened when a bomber blew himself up as people were rescuing the victims of the initial bombing.

The unnamed sources said that at least 36 people were also injured in the two blasts.

Russia, a Syrian ally that is conducting aerial operations against militants in the Syria, operates a naval base in Tartus.

Additionally, a bomb hidden on a motorcycle exploded in the Kurdish-populated Marsho area of the northeastern city of Hasaka, leaving eight people dead.

Three people were also killed and several others injured when an explosives-laden car went off on a road linking the Sabourah and Baja districts of the outskirts of Damascus.

In the northeastern Bab Tadmor (Gate of Palmyra) neighborhood of the western city of Homs, located 162 kilometers (101 miles) north of Damascus, a bomb attack killed two civilians and left seven others injured.

The Takfiri Daesh militant group later claimed responsibility for all of the terrorist attacks.

Syrian government forces have been fighting militants, including members of Daesh, across the country.

On Sunday, Syrian government forces uncovered a 400-meter-long tunnel in the northeastern Harasta suburb of Damascus. Militants apparently used the tunnel to smuggle people, weapons, and ammunition into an area under their control.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

Back in 2014, the UN said it would no more update its official death toll for Syria.