Twin blasts rock security branch in Syria's Homs

DAMASCUS - Twin car bombs went off on Wednesday near a military security branch in Syria's central Homs province, injuring 20 people, a pro-government online news website said, as clashes intensified at a rebellious area near the capital Damascus.

The blasts rocked the security branch in Palmyra countryside of Homs, Ajel News website said, giving no further details about the incident.

The state-media has not reported the incident.

In the capital Damascus, intense clashes are currently taking place at the entrances of the Jobar suburb to the south of Damascus between the army and armed rebels, local media and activists said.

The drumbeat of shells has been ongoing across the capital since the wee hours of Wednesday amid reports that the army is beefing up presence at the entrances of Jobar in a bid to storm it.

Activists also reported clashes in the suburbs of Zamalka.

Meanwhile, the pro-government al-Watan daily said Wednesday that the Syrian troops dealt "painful blows" to the armed rebels a day earlier in hotspots of Damascus and its southern outskirts as well as in Homs and Hama, killing hundreds of them.