Bombing in Damascus Takes Toll on Syrian Regime

Syrian rebels pierced the innermost circle of President Bashar al-Assad's regime with a bomb blast that killed three high-level officials and raised questions about the ability of the country's security forces to sustain the embattled government.

Wednesday's explosion, coming after days of pitched battles in the capital of Damascus, came as a huge blow to the Assad regime, highlighting its growing vulnerability while showing the increasing ability of rebels in the 17-month uprising. But analysts said it likely didn't mark a decisive turning point for rebels, who remain outgunned by the Russian-backed Syrian military.

U.S. officials said the developments in Syria showed Mr. Assad was losing control of the country, and said it was urgent that the international community increase pressure for him to step down.

A United Nations Security Council vote on the future of a moribund peacekeeping mission, which expires Friday, was postponed until Thursday. With Russia seen as a significant obstacle to Security Council action, President Barack Obama called Russian President Vladimir Putin; the two acknowledged differences over the issue of sanctions against Damascus, the White House said.

 Syria is blaming Western intelligence services and Gulf Arab states for the bomb blast that killed several officials, plus President Bashar al-Assad's brother-in-law. WSJ's Nour Malas reports on Mean Street. Photo: AP.

.The bombing on Wednesday targeted a meeting of military, security and intelligence leaders that Syrian officials call a "crisis cell," a committee that has met regularly in recent months as the crisis escalated, according to Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zughbi. Among those killed were Mr. Assad's brother-in-law and the Syrian defense minister.

The meeting, of at least seven senior officials, was held at national security council headquarters in the tightly secured Rawda Square, several buildings away from the U.S. Embassy and from the private residence and office of Mr. Assad.

Syrian media called the bomb blast a "terrorist attack." Rebels said it was a carefully planned strike against the government and wasn't detonated by a suicide bomber.

Rebel fighters in Damascus described different versions of how explosives were planted in the room where the crisis cell met. Varying accounts said the bomb was planted by a driver, a bodyguard or an aide to one of the officials who had turned against the regime and was secretly working with the opposition.

"I can confirm that we have help from the inside," said Louay Mokdad, a logistics coordinator for the rebel Free Syrian Army.

The operation had been planned for weeks, he and rebel commanders in Damascus said. The decision to execute the plan came on Wednesday morning, when the emergency meeting of officials was called.

The rebel account of the attack couldn't be independently confirmed.

Mr. Mokdad said those involved in the planning were unsure whether President Assad, or his brother Maher—who usually attend such meetings—were present. The president didn't make any public appearances after the attack.

 President Bashar al-Assad's brother-in-law Asef Shawkat and the country's defense minister were killed in a massive bombing in central Damascus, Syrian state media said. Nour Malas has details on The News Hub.

.Surrounding Assad

More about President Bashar al-Assad's family and the tight circle of clan members ruling the country.

Just hours after the attack, there were signs that the regime and the rebels were gearing up for a significant escalation in the conflict that risks drawing in regional players and triggering a refugee and humanitarian crisis with far-reaching repercussions.

In Damascus, several civilian and military regime officials vowed after the attack to do everything possible to snuff out the armed insurrection. Fighting raged in several Damascus neighborhoods, with residents fleeing districts that have been the setting of pitched street battles involving helicopter gunships starting this week.

The blast killed Defense Minister Gen. Dawoud Rajha, and Mr. Assad's brother-in-law, Assef Shawkat. Gen. Hassan Turkmani, a former defense minister and an assistant vice president, died in the hospital after being severely wounded in the attack. Interior Minister Maj. Gen. Ibrahim al-Sha'ar and Gen. Hisham Ekhtiyar, the national security chief, were wounded but were "well and in stable condition," Syrian state media said.

Syria in the Spotlight

Take a look back over the highlights of the past year in Syria in a timeline, and review the latest events in a map.

"This cowardly terrorist act will not dissuade the men of our armed forces from continuing their sacred duties to pursue the remnants of the terrorist criminal gangs and cut off the arm that extends to harm the security of the nation and the people," said Gen. Fahed Jassim al-Freij, who was quickly appointed by President Assad to succeed the slain defense minister, in a televised statement.

Mr. Shawkat, who also held the rank of general, was deputy defense minister and before that head of the country's feared military intelligence.

The killing of Mr. Shawkat, one of the most powerful figures in Mr. Assad's security apparatus, is a coup for the opposition, more so than the death of Gen. Rajha, a Christian, who occupied what was largely regarded as a ceremonial post.

Mr. Shawkat was married to the president's only sister, Bushra, and was rumored to have survived an assassination attempt by rebels earlier this year through the poisoning of meat served during a meal with his aides. Like the president and many in his inner entourage, Mr. Shawkat hailed from the minority Shiite-linked Alawite sect. He was widely regarded with fear.

"A very wily man with an eternal smile," said a government obituary of Mr. Shawkat.

Mr. Zughbi, the minister of information, accused the intelligence services of Western countries and Gulf Arab states, as well as Turkey, of helping plot the attack. "They committed a crime and they will pay for it," he vowed, referring to these countries that strongly back the Syrian opposition.

Free Syrian Army commanders said they planned the attack in coordination with Republican Guard soldiers tasked with defending the capital and security personnel at the building. Military defectors say they have secured contact in recent weeks with an array of army and intelligence officers who help them plan attacks.

A rebel commander in Damascus said those attacked "were major decision makers in the killing of innocent Syrian civilians. …Besides overseeing major military decisions, they were also involved in supporting and directing the shabeeha," he said, referring to pro-regime agents who have taken part in some of the most gruesome killings in opposition strongholds.

The attack was a major achievement for the rebels, but they still are no match for the regime's security forces, said Nadim Shehade, a Middle East specialist at the London-based think tank Chatham House. The regime, he said, can go on without those killed. "But it depends on the ripple effect, how many people will recalculate their position," he said.

Residents of the capital said Syrian military planes were buzzing over Damascus after the bombing, which occurred in one of the most upscale parts of the city. They described clashes in central Damascus and neighborhoods on the south and southwestern sides of the city.

Syrian state media broadcast footage from inside a section of the Midan neighborhood that showed soldiers unleashing a barrage of gunfire in an alleyway.

Opposition leaders outside Syria raced to claim victory and the regime's demise. George Sabra, spokesman for the Syrian National Council, an umbrella group for the political opposition, told pan-Arab television that the attack was what his group had forecast as "the final, decisive battle."