First Report: Car bomb explodes near British Embassy in Damascus

Israeli Media ^ | 4/27/2004

[yonif]

Car bomb explodes near British Embassy in Damascus. Shots and explosions are being heard in the capital. Israel media reporting, Channel 2 Israel and other sources.

[LikeLight]

I'm guessing the battle is between Syrians and/or embassy guards and an Al Queda cell . . .

[oceanview]

I can understand them picking a foreign target in Syria, like the British embassy. AQ can operate in Syria, probably with assistance. But who are the syrians shooting at? hell, its essentially "their" attack via AQ proxies on the Brits. unless they are just trying to make it look good for the media.

[Shermy]

Maybe Assad was about to make a rapprochement with Britain and the West...and his soon to be former Iranian friends didn't take kindly...

[johnfrink]

"Nothing on the US networks yet."

When is that statement ever false?

[yonif]

More reports:

1. Reuters reports heavy firing near British Embassy

2. Israel Army Radio reports firing near foreign embassies

3. NFC (Israeli media): explosions near British Ambassador's house and Saudi Arabia embassy

4. Maariv reports firefight and explosions on main street

[johnfrink]

Syria could have staged it in an effort to say "hey, look, Al Qaeda is attacking us too! How can we be helping them?"

[Cap Huff]

First reports are puzzling. It all must make sense, but it is not clear to me right now.

[Sacajaweau]

bump for ooh, ooh!

[LikeLight]

When it involves something inane and useless, like the Kobe Bryant trial . . .

[Dog Gone]

Syrian capital 'rocked by blasts'

A series of explosions and gunfire rocked the Syrian capital Damascus on Tuesday evening, reports say.

Sources in the city said between three and five explosions were heard starting at about 1600 GMT. The blasts were followed by repeated gunfire.

The explosions are said to have occurred near the Iranian and Canadian embassies in the city.

They took place on the Mesa highway leading into central Damascus from the Lebanese capital Beirut.

[Catspaw]

MSNBC: blast near British ambassador's residence. Saudi embassy is near by.

[yonif]

Syria, under dictator Assad, itself is a terror sponsor. Hamas and Islamic Jihad have offices in the capital and Syria, along with Iran, continue to support murderous terrorism.

[Dog]

MSNBC: the explosions are near the British ambassdors residence and the Saudi embassy.

[Shermy]

It all must make sense, but it is not clear to me right now.

My guess is that Assad was about to flip.

[oceanview]

perhaps some faction in the Syrian government has aligned with AQ to oust Assad. Assad was perhaps becoming weak, unreliable on this WMD front, he might need to go.

its too bad we have an election coming up, its the perfect time for a blitzkrieg like strike by US forces in Iraq against Syria.

[johnfrink]

Bombs and subsequent/preceeding firefight are Al Qaeda hallmarks. Either use a truck with gunmen to wipe out guards and then follow with a truck bomb, or detonate a truck/car bomb near a soft target and then follow with gunmen to wipe out survivors.

[Cap Huff]

Plausible at first look, but Yonif's #25 now makes it seem like lots more.

[Shermy]

BTW, great and worthy thread.

[yonif]

Embassy area has UN, Iran, Britain and Canada embassies (Walla Israel News Portal).

[Dog]

The planned attack in Jordan ......by AQ was to hit several embassies at the same time. This is very similar to that plan..