A car bomb explosion near a Syrian Defence Ministry building in Damascus has killed at least one soldier and wounded more than 20 people, authorities say.

In a statement carried by state media on Tuesday, the ministry said members of an army unit had discovered an improvised explosive device planted near the site in the Bab Sharqi district of the capital. As they moved to defuse it, a car bomb exploded in the same area, it added, without offering more details.

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In addition to the killed soldier, at least 21 people were wounded and transferred to nearby hospitals for medical treatment, said Najib al-Naasan, head of Syria’s ambulance and ⁠⁠emergency directorate.

Videos on social media showed plumes of smoke rising from the scene, with firefighters rushing to extinguish the blaze.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Security incidents, including explosions targeting military and civilian vehicles, have occurred intermittently in Syria since the fall of longtime President Bashar al-Assad in late 2024 after more than 13 years of war.

Reporting from near the site of the attack, Al Jazeera’s Heidi Pett said the security situation in Syria remains “quite complex”.

Last year, a car bomb killed at least 20 people on the outskirts of Manbij in northern Syria, while a suicide bomber carried out an attack inside a packed church in Damascus, killing at least 25 people and wounding dozens more.

In June 2024, an explosion killed one person in the capital after a device exploded in their car.

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