A rebel rocket attack caused a series of explosions in an ammunition warehouse in the Syrian city of Homs, killing 40 people and injuring several times more, the non-governmental Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH) announced.
The explosions, accompanied by large fireballs that rose high into the sky, frightened the population and caused the walls of buildings to crack and other damage in the surrounding area, while smoke and dust in the air could be seen from a great distance.
Without giving details, military sources confirmed that the explosion took place in an ammunition depot.
A government official said a dozen rockets hit a warehouse and a nearby sports stadium, causing a fire. He said 130 people were injured, but did not specify the number of dead.
The non-governmental organization OSDH, which is based in London, states that the explosion caused by the rocket attacks of the rebels on the neighborhoods under the control of the authorities, caused the death of 40 people and that 120 were injured.
Asad: I am sure of victory
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said today that he is "sure of victory" for his forces in the civil war that has lasted more than two years.
"If we were not sure of victory, we would not be able to resist and continue the fight after more than two years of aggression," Assad said in a message on the occasion of the 68th anniversary of the creation of the Syrian Armed Forces.
As reported by the Sana agency, Assad told the soldiers that "he has confidence in them to carry out the national mission entrusted to them".
"You have shown rare courage in the fight against terrorism and amazed the world with your resistance ... in the bloodiest and most brutal war in modern history," the Syrian president said.
In a conflict that has lasted more than two years, government forces, aided by powerful air units and months of support from Lebanon's Hezbollah, are battling poorly armed rebels that Damascus calls foreign-backed terrorists.
More than 100.000 people died in that conflict, according to the UN.
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