Car bomb attack kills 20 near Damascus

At least 20 people have been killed in a car bomb attack near Damascus in the predominantly Christian and Druze area of Jaramanaon Monday. “A car exploded next to a bakery on Rawda Street and killed at least 20 people,” Syrian state television said. At least 15 people were injured in the explosion. The four-day truce suggested by UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi already collapsed amid clashes, shelling and car bombings hours afterit was due to take effect with the start of Eid al-Adha holidays on Friday morning. On the eve of the official end of the ceasefire, the army blamed its failure on "violations" by rebels, who say they have only reacted in self-defence. With hopes shattered of even a temporary halt to the 19 months of bloodshed in Syria, diplomats said Brahimi is renewing his efforts to tackle the crisis. He is set to go to the UN Security Council in November with new proposals to push for talks between President Bashar Al-Assad and the opposition. He will head to Russia and China this week to discuss the crisis. "The political process will not start until Assad and the opposition have battered each other so much that there is no choice. They are not there yet, but Brahimi has some ideas," an envoy at the Security Council said. On the ground, rebel forces seized three military posts in the Damascus suburb of Douma amid fierce fighting and killed four soldiers at another checkpoint in the region, the Syrian Observatory said.