SYRIAN Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi has escaped an assassination bid, surviving a blast that targeted his convoy in Damascus, Syrian state television reports.
"The terrorist explosion in Mazzeh was an attempt to target the prime minister's convoy and Dr Wael al-Halqi was unharmed," state television reported on Monday.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights watchdog reported that a car bomb targeted Halqi's convoy as it passed through the Mazzeh district of Damascus, killing one of his bodyguards.
Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said Halqi's driver and a second bodyguard were also seriously wounded in the explosion.
An AFP photographer at the scene said several vehicles were destroyed in the blast, including a bus burned out by the explosion. The windshields of other cars nearby were also blown out.
Mazzeh is an upscale neighbourhood in western Damascus, home to a number of senior regime figures.
Halqi was appointed prime minister in August 2012 after his predecessor Riad Hijab defected to the opposition.
"The terrorist explosion in Mazzeh was an attempt to target the prime minister's convoy and Dr Wael al-Halqi was unharmed," state television reported on Monday.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights watchdog reported that a car bomb targeted Halqi's convoy as it passed through the Mazzeh district of Damascus, killing one of his bodyguards.
Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said Halqi's driver and a second bodyguard were also seriously wounded in the explosion.
An AFP photographer at the scene said several vehicles were destroyed in the blast, including a bus burned out by the explosion. The windshields of other cars nearby were also blown out.
Mazzeh is an upscale neighbourhood in western Damascus, home to a number of senior regime figures.
Halqi was appointed prime minister in August 2012 after his predecessor Riad Hijab defected to the opposition.
