Syria’s deputy defense minister, security chief killed in bomb attack

Syria’s deputy defense minister Assef Shawkat and security Chief General Hisham Ikhtiyar have been killed in a bomb attack on a security building in the capital.

Syrian Defense Minister Dawoud Rajiha was also killed in the bombing at the headquarters of the National Security Bureau on Wednesday.

Cabinet ministers and senior security officials were meeting inside the building at the time of the explosion. Many others, including Interior Minister Major General Mohammad Ibrahim al-Shaar, were injured in the blast even though his health is reported to be in stable condition now.

Shawkat is President Assad’s brother-in-law.