Blast in the Sayyida Zeinab area outside the capital -- home to one of Shiite Islam’s most renowned shrines by the same name. Almost every Shi'ite militia fighter bears insignia on his combat fatigues with the words "For your sake, Sayeda Zeinab". In other frontlines in northern Syria, two rebel sources said Russian and Syrian jets stepped up their relentless aerial bombing of their positions in the northern city of Aleppo. Islamic State claimed responsibility for suicide and car bomb blasts that struck a Damascus suburb on Saturday near Syria's holiest Shi'ite Muslim shrine, and a monitoring group said at least 20 people were killed. It said the number was expected to rise because many of the scores of wounded people were in critical condition.

Source: The Hindu June 11, 2016 09:01 UTC