INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Huge blasts were reported around Damascus early on Saturday
(AFP)Syria: Syrian state media slammed Western strikes on Saturday as illegal and "doomed to fail," after the
US, France, and Britain launched a joint operation against the Damascus government."The aggression is a flagrant violation of international
law, a breach of the international community's will, and it is doomed to fail," said state news agency SANA. Huge blasts were reported
around Damascus early on Saturday, moments after the US, France, and Britain announced they were striking Syria's chemical weapons
capabilities.AFP's correspondent in Damascus said several consecutive blasts were heard at 4:00 am local time (0100 GMT), followed by the
sound of airplanes overhead
Smoke could be seen emerging from the northern and eastern edges of the capital.State media published images of a cloud of reddish smoke
hanging over the capital and said that air defences were activated to block the attack. SANA reported the joint operation hit a research
centre northeast of the capital as well as other military installations around Damascus, but said missiles targeting army depots in Homs had
been intercepted. It said skies were clear over Aleppo in the north, Hasakeh in the northeast, and Latakia and Tartus along the western
coast, where key Syrian and Russian military installations are located. The joint operation came one week after a suspected chemical attack
outside Damascus left more than 40 people dead. (This story has not been edited by staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
