Syria conflict: Twin bombings in Homs kill 46 as Kerry pushes for ceasefire

At least 46 people have been killed in two bomb blasts in the Syrian city of Homs, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The attacks were described as among the biggest blasts to hit the government-held neighbourhood of Zahra during the five-year civil war. At least 28 civilians were included in the death toll, the Observatory said. Syrian state television broadcast footage showing the air thick with dust and fires started by the blasts. Shops had fronts ripped off and vehicles were destroyed by the force of the bombs.

We are closer to a ceasefire today than we have been, and I take nothing for granted about this.

US Secretary of State John Kerry

Syrian state TV put the number of deaths at 25, a figure it said came from Homs provincial governor Talal Barazi. The attacks came a day after government advances against Islamic State but the group has not yet claimed responsibility. Homs, once seen as the capital of the revolution, is now largely controlled by pro-government forces. The Zahra neighbourhood has become a regular target for bombers, with major attacks including one on a school in October 2014. That attack killed 48 children and four adults. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry said that a “provisional agreement in principle” has been reached on a Syria ceasefire and that negotiators are “closer to the ceasefire today” than they have previously been.

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