Attacks in Zainabiyah, Damascus Leave 68 Dead and Dozens Injured

Hours after reports of two deadly bomb attacks in the city of Homs that left dozens dead, Syrian state television reported several attacks and bombings in Zainabiyah, Damascus, resulting in the deaths of 68 Syrian citizens, including several students. According to a report by Agence France-Presse, ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks on Sunday in Homs and Zainabiyah. The report states that the explosion of a car bomb and two suicide bombings in the Zainabiyah area south of Damascus left 68 dead and dozens injured. The attacks occurred as students were leaving their schools, with several of the casualties being students. Agence France-Presse also referenced a report from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights based in London, which mentioned four attacks, stating that in addition to the car bomb explosion and two suicide bombings, another explosion occurred in the area whose nature is unclear. The explosion on Sunday in Zainabiyah came just weeks after other attacks in the area that killed 71 people, including five children, for which ISIS also claimed responsibility. Hours before these explosions, two car bomb explosions in the city of Homs, Syria, left at least 59 dead, described as one of the deadliest attacks of its kind in Homs during five years of the Syrian civil war. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, these explosions in the center of Homs, in the Zahra neighborhood, also left at least 100 injured. The city of Homs is almost entirely under the control of Syrian government forces and has been the target of numerous bombings in recent months, but none have matched the intensity of today's attacks. Among these attacks was a bombing last month in the city that left 24 dead, for which the group known as the 'Islamic State' also claimed responsibility. The attacks on Sunday in Homs and Damascus come amid ongoing international efforts to declare a ceasefire in Syria, although opponents of Bashar al-Assad have stated that they will only accept a ceasefire in exchange for guarantees regarding the cessation of attacks by the government and its allies. Bashar al-Assad has also stated that he is ready to accept a ceasefire provided that groups he refers to as 'terrorist' do not exploit it for their benefit.