Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halaqi has survived a car bomb attack in the capital, Damascus, reports say.
The blast in western Mazzeh district targeted Mr Halaqi’s convoy, state television said. There are reported to be a number of casualties.
UK-based activist group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Mr Halaqi’s bodyguard had been killed, AFP news agency reported.
It is unclear whether the blast was a suicide bombing or a planted device.
An unnamed Syrian official said the explosion was caused by a bomb placed underneath a parked car in the area, the Associated Press news agency reported.
An earlier report said it had been a suicide attack.
Syrian state television said the explosion happened at a busy intersection. Video from the scene showed burning debris and firefighters trying to put out a blaze.
A picture which activists said was of the site of the attack showed a large plume of black smoke rising into the air near a road and a high-rise building.
Activist groups said a bus and a car had been set on fire.
Mazzeh is a government-controlled quarter housing a military airport which is vital to the regime’s defences.
Syrian forces and rebels have been fighting around Damascus for months but with neither side gaining an upper hand.
The attack is the latest bombing inside government-controlled areas of the capital.
In December a suicide bombing struck the interior ministry. State media said top officials had escaped unhurt, but it later emerged that the interior minister himself had been badly injured.
So far there has been no claim of responsibility for Monday’s attack. Similar bombings in the past have been linked to the jihadist al-Nusra Front, one of the most prominent rebel groups fighting the regime.
