18 July 2012 Damascus bombing

18 July 2012 Damascus bombing
Part of the Battle of Damascus (2012) (during Syrian civil war)
Rawda Square is located in Syria
Rawda Square
Rawda Square
Native nameتفجير مجلس الأمن القومي
LocationRawda Square, Damascus, Syria
Coordinates33°30′51″N 36°16′43″E / 33.51417°N 36.27861°E / 33.51417; 36.27861
Date18 July 2012 (2012-07-18)
TargetSyrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Cabinet members[1]
Attack type
Assassination
DeathsAt least 4[2][3][4][5]
InjuredAt least 2[6]
Perpetratorsundetermined

The 18 July 2012 Damascus bombing of the National Security headquarters in Rawda Square, Damascus, killed and injured a number of top military and security officials of the Syrian government. Among the dead were the Syrian Defense Minister[2] and Deputy Defense Minister.[3] The bombing occurred during the Syrian Civil War, and is considered to be one of the most notorious events to affect the conflict. Syrian state-controlled television reported that it was a suicide attack while the opposition claimed it was a remotely detonated bomb.

  1. ^ Blomfield, Adrian (18 July 2012). "Syria: Assad 'facing the end' after Damascus bomb attacks". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Syria's defense minister killed in Damascus suicide bombing: State TV". Al Arabiya. 18 July 2012. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Syrian TV confirms Assef Shawkat was killed in bombing". Ynetnews. 18 July 2012. Archived from the original on 16 December 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  4. ^ "Syria blast strikes at heart of Assad's rule". Al Jazeera. 18 July 2012. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Arabiya was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference ds1912 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).