Explosion strikes neighborhood in central Syrian city of Homs, raising fears of casualties

BEIRUT – Syrian state television and an activist group are reporting that an explosion has struck the central city of Homs, causing casualties.

The TV report said a car bomb exploded Tuesday near a candy shop in the neighborhood of Wadi Dahab, killing and wounding an unspecified number of people.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported an explosion in Wadi Dahab, saying that it was not clear if a car bomb or a rocket caused it.

Wadi Dahab is home mostly to Alawites, members of the minority sect of President Bashar Assad.

Several car bombs exploded in Homs over the past few months, killing and wounding dozens of people.

Syria's 3-year-old civil war has killed some 160,000 people and shows no signs of ending soon.