Syria TV: Twin explosions near Damascus; casualties reported

This May 17 picture released by Hezbollah media department shows Hezbollah supporters attending a ceremony to mark the death of slain top commander Mustafa Badreddine, who was killed in Syria last week, at the shrine of Sayyida Zeinab, in a suburb of Damascus, Syria . Badreddine died in an explosion in Damascus, a death that is a major blow to the Shiite group, which has played a significant role in the conflict next door. AP

BEIRUT—Syrian state TV says two explosions have gone off near the Syrian capital, resulting in multiple casualties.

It says blasts occurred Saturday in the Sayyida Zeinab area outside Damascus. The suburb is home to one of Shiite Islam’s most renowned shrines by the same name.

Syrian TV says the first explosion was the result of a car bomb in al-Teen street and the second blast, the cause of which remains unclear, took place at the entrance of Ziabiyeh district.

Sayyida Zeinab has been a frequent target of suicide and car bombings in Syria’s civil war, now in its sixth year. Some of them have been claimed by the Islamic State group.