Three people were injured when the blast went off in the Marjeh district of the capital, with the government blaming "terrorists" for the attack. The blast took place in Marjah Square near the Iranian Cultural Center. Iran is a close ally of the beleaguered Assad regime in Syria. The bomb was placed under the car of an unsuspecting man, who was among those wounded, said state news agency SANA. In another incident, an army truck was targeted while it was passing through downtown Damascus. Two officers were killed.

No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attacks. Syria's pro-government Ikhbaria television blamed armed terrorists - a term used to describe rebels - for the car bomb.The blast rattled the residents of Damascus, the Syrian capital that has remained relatively peaceful since the protests against the Bashar al-Assad regime began 13 months ago. Amid escalating violence in rebel areas like Homs and Hama, Damascus has remained a government stronghold.