DAMASCUS (AFP) - The US embassy in the Syrian capital came under attack, an embassy guard said, as blasts and heavy gunfire were heard from the diplomatic quarter of Damascus.
The guard, contacted by telephone, confirmed the mission was under attack. "This is not the right time," he said, declining to answer questions.
The explosions in the Ain Remmeneh district of Damascus where the US and several other foreign missions are located sent black smoke into the air.
The whole district was cordoned off by Syrian security forces, witnesses and an AFP correspondent said.