Syrian civilians killed in al-Nusra Front bomb attacks near a mosque in Dara’a

Two car bombs have exploded in front of a mosque in the southern Syrian city of Dara’a, killing many civilians, local sources say.

According to Syria’s official news agency, SANA, the bombs went off near al-Hassan mosque in al-Balad district of the city on Friday as worshippers were leaving.

The blasts also caused huge material damages. Syrian media blamed the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front for the bombings.

The twin blasts came shortly after a rocket fired by foreign-backed militants, hit the Muhafaza Sakaniya neighborhood in the northern city of Aleppo, leaving unknown number of casualties.

Video from state television showed the side of a building collapsed into rubble that spilled into nearby streets. A crowd sifted through the wreckage as medics pulled bloodied bodies onto stretchers.

It was not immediately known how many people were killed or wounded in the two cities

Meanwhile, a number of militants were killed in a blast at a bomb making factory in the northwestern province of Idlib.

Government forces also destroyed several terrorist hideouts in Idlib suburbs.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of army and security personnel, have been killed in the turmoil.

According to a UN report, militants from 29 countries have so far infiltrated into Syria to fight against the Damascus government, most of whom are extremist Salafists.

The Syrian government has repeatedly said that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and that a very large number of the militants operating in the country are foreign nationals.