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Damascus, Syria (CNN) -- The world is watching the situation in Syria
transform before its eyes -- with an uptick in bombings and allegations
of chemical weapons use -- but deciding what to do about it is no easy
feat.
World seeks answers as Syria civil war evolves
updated 4:41 PM EDT, Tue April 30, 2013
Syrian Interior Minister Mohammed
al-Shaar, third from right, visits the site of a blast in Damascus on
Tuesday, April 30. The Syrian government said that at least 13 people
died in what state-run TV described as a "terrorist explosion." Tensions
in Syria first flared in March 2011, escalating into a civil war that
still rages. This gallery contains the most compelling images taken
since the start of the conflict.
HIDE CAPTION
Syrian civil war in photos
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Obama says more information is needed before a decision on Syria
- A rebel spokesman says recent blasts were set up by the government to garner sympathy
- State-run TV calls Tuesday blast a "terrorist explosion;" no one has claimed responsibility
- The blast took place a day after the prime minister survived a bombing on his motorcade
In the capital, there is
less shelling and fewer fighter jets are seen in the air than in the
past, but the streets are as empty as ever in the wake of recent
bombings.
The increasing number of
explosions is causing a lot of anxiety for Syrians, due in part to the
fact that it's not clear which side is behind the blasts.
The government blames
"terrorists," a designation that includes the rebels who are trying to
bring down President Bashar al-Assad. The rebels accuse the government
of bombing its own capital in a ploy for sympathy.
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"They are all our
children and it is sad. We are all Syrians killing each other," lamented
Umm Wasim, who witnessed the latest tragedy: a bomb blast that killed
at least 13 in Damascus Tuesday.
Equally frustrating for
the Syrian civilians who are waiting and hoping for international
intervention in the crisis is the fact that the United States has now
said there is evidence that the chemical weapon sarin has been used on a
small scale in the conflict. It appears that a line has been crossed,
but the response from the world community has not been swift.
President Barack Obama
said Tuesday the United States will wait until it has more details on
the evidence of chemical weapons use before altering its strategy on the
strife in Syria.
Obama previously called
the use of chemical weapons a "red line," but the United States has not
radically changed its approach to Syria in the days since an
administration official announced the finding.
The United States doesn't
yet know "how they were used, when they were used, who used them,"
Obama said. "When I am making decisions about American national security
and the potential for taking additional action in response to chemical
weapons use, I have to make sure I have the facts."
On Tuesday, a spokesman
for the Free Syrian Army said that the rebels had secured what they
believe is an unexploded chemical weapon deployed by the regime in
Idlib. The FSA will try to get the unexploded canister out of the
country for testing, he said.
"If the Syrian regime
doesn't want to allow the U.N. investigation team in, we will do all we
can in order to present the evidence to the international community
because we have the moral and national obligations to our people and our
nation," Louay Almokdad said.
At the scene of
Tuesday's bombing in the capital, some people burst into tears as they
spoke about the event and the general situation in Syria.
"They are killing our
people. Washington and the West know they are terrorists. Why are they
providing them with weapons?" asked Mohammed Agha. But the United States
says it provides only non-lethal aid to the opposition. The question of
arming the rebels is being debated among the international community.
Syrian state-run television said the "terrorist explosion" also wounded 70 people.
The blast apparently
came from a car bomb parked behind the old building of the Interior
Ministry, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The Syrian Observatory,
which opposes al-Assad's government, said the number of casualties is
expected to rise because of the large number of injured.
Members of the Syrian armed forces were among those hurt in the explosion, the group said.
But Almokdad told CNN he believes the attack was staged by the government.
"The latest blasts are
nothing but a farce staged by the Assad regime in order to beg for
sympathy from the international community on the eve of the U.N.
Security Council meeting to discuss the use of chemical weapons by the
regime armed forces against our innocent civilians," the FSA spokesman
said.
He also said the rebel army was not involved in the explosion.
"Setting up car bombs in
the capital or anywhere in the country is not a strategy that the FSA
condones," Almokdad said. "We reject targeting any civilian area and
risking the lives of our civilian population."
Tuesday's blast occurred
a day after Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi survived a bombing that
targeted his motorcade in an upscale Damascus neighborhood, the
government and opposition reported.
The Syrian Observatory
said one of al-Halqi's escorts and five civilians were killed in the
explosion. Another escort and a driver were badly injured, the group
said.
The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency reported casualties but did not elaborate on the incident.
No one immediately
claimed responsibility for the Monday blast. But the rebel spokesman
said he believes that attack was also set up by the government.
"Al-Halqi is a minor
figure propped by the al-Assad regime, and he is not a strategic target
to the FSA or anyone in the revolution. We actually feel sorry for the
man who was appointed to be a prime minister," he said.
The Syrian civil war has pitted al-Assad's forces against rebels seeking an end to four decades of Assad family rule.
More than 70,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the conflict in the past two years.
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