Syrian PM survives assassination bid

SYRIA: Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi escaped an assassination bid on Monday, surviving a blast that targeted his convoy in Damascus, Syrian state television reported. "The terrorist explosion in Mazzeh was an attempt to target the prime minister's convoy and Dr. Wael al-Halqi was unharmed," state television reported.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights watchdog reported that a car bomb targeted Halqi's convoy as it passed through the Mazzeh district of Damascus, killing one of his bodyguards.

Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said Halqi's driver and a second bodyguard were also seriously wounded in the explosion.

An AFP photographer at the scene said several vehicles were destroyed in the blast, including a bus burned out by the explosion. The windshields of other cars nearby were also blown out. Mazzeh is an upscale neighbourhood in western Damascus, home to a number of senior regime figures. Halqi was appointed prime minister in August 2012 after his predecessor Riad Hijab defected to the opposition.

AFP