At least one Syrian soldier was killed when a car bomb exploded outside a Defence Ministry building in Damascus on Tuesday, the ministry said.
An army unit had discovered a bomb near the building in the capital's Bab Sharqi district and were trying to dismantle it when the car bomb went off nearby, the ministry said in a statement carried by state news agency Sana.
The blast killed one soldier and wounded several others, it added.
Syria’s Health Ministry said at least 21 people were wounded. They were being transferred to nearby hospitals, and medical teams were continuing to provide treatment and monitor their condition, it said.
Earlier, Al Ekhbariya TV quoted a security source as saying the explosion occurred near an armament management centre in Damascus.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
Earlier this month, a Syrian Shiite cleric was killed in an explosion near the Sayyida Zaynab shrine in southern Damascus.
Farhan Al Mansour, preacher at the shrine, died from injuries sustained when a hand grenade exploded, state news agency Sana said.
Syria is struggling to recover from a nearly 14-year civil war that ended with the removal of former President Bashar Al Assad in 2024.
The Syrian economy has been devastated by the war, which began in 2011 after an uprising against the Bashar Al Assad regime.
The UN Development Programme estimates cumulative losses, including physical damage and economic deprivation, at $923 billion as of the end of last year. The estimated cost of reconstruction has varied from $250 billion to $500 billion.
