The Free Syrian Army has claimed responsibility for a series of explosions in central Damascus near the hotel used by the UN observer mission in Syria.

Abu Al Noor, a spokesperson for the Ahfad Al Rasoul brigade that is claiming responsibility for the bombing attacks, told Al Jazeera that the FSA had been planning the attacks for a month.

"The operation was targeting the central security command in response to murders perpetrated by the security forces nationwide," he said in a phone interview from Damascus on Wednesday morning.

Syrian state television reported that the blast, in the Abu Remanih area near a military depot and the trade union headquarters, was caused by a bomb planted in a fuel vehicle on Wednesday morning.

Several ambulances rushed to the scene and a security cordon was set up, according to witnesses.

Syrian state television reported that the attack wounded at least three people, but the opposition sources said they suspect many officers had been killed or injured.

The FSA planted eight explosive canisters in the vicinity of the Syrian military's Central Security Command, timed to explode during their daily meeting, Noor said.

The FSA had intelligence suggesting some 150 high-ranking officers would be attending the meeting. He did not know how many casualties had occurred because the security forces had secured the area.

"We will continue to carry out similar operations in the capital until we reach him [Assad] in the presidential palace," he said.
Faisal Mekdad, the Syrian deputy minister, toured the area of the blast shortly after the explosion and said none of the UN staff was hurt. The explosion occurred as UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos was in the Syrian capital but her team is believed to be staying at a different hotel.

'Breakthrough'

Al Jazeera's Rula Amin reported from Beirut that FSA's apparent incursion into the heart of the capital showed they were gaining confidence.

"If indeed this is the work of the Free Syrian Army, this is a breakthrough for them," she said. "What's interesting is that this is a very secure area."

Opposition activists said massive explosions echoed across much of the city and a video released by one opposition group showed a large plume of smoke billowing into the sky.

A spokesperson for the opposition Local Co-ordination Committees in Damascus told Al Jazeera there was a big explosion followed by a series of smaller explosions.

Damascus has been rocked by several bomb blasts in recent days, including an attack last month at the national security headquarters that killed three of President Bashar al-Assad's top security chiefs.

The US defense secretary, Leon Panetta, accused Iran on Tuesday of setting up pro-government militias in Syria.

PHOTO CAPTION

Fire engines and ambulances rushed to the bomb scene

Al-Jazeera