18 July 2012 Damascus bombing
| 18 July 2012 Damascus bombing تفجير مجلس الأمن القومي |
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| Part of the Battle of Damascus (2012) (during Syrian civil war) | |
 Rawda Square
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| Location | Rawda Square, Damascus, Syria |
| Coordinates | 33°31′16.09″N 36°16′58.15″E / 33.5211361°N 36.2828194°ECoordinates: 33°31′16.09″N 36°16′58.15″E / 33.5211361°N 36.2828194°E |
| Date | 18 July 2012 |
| Target | Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Cabinet members |
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Attack type
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Assassination |
| Weapons | Suicide bomber or Remotely detonated bomb |
| Deaths | At least 4 |
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Non-fatal injuries
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At least 2 |
| Perpetrators | Liwa Al-Islam and Free Syrian Army (both claimed responsibility) |
The 18 July 2012 Damascus bombing refers to the bombing of the National Security headquarters in Rawda Square, Damascus, killing and injuring a number of top military and security officials of Bashar al-Assad's government. Among the dead were the Syrian Defense Minister and Deputy Defense Minister. The incident occurred during the Syrian Civil War, and is considered to be one of the most notorious events to affect the conflict. Syrian public-owned television reported that it was a suicide attack while the opposition claims it was a remotely detonated bomb.
The attack, during a meeting of ministers and a number of heads of security agencies, resulted in the death of the Syrian Defense Minister General Dawoud Rajiha. Also killed were Assef Shawkat, president Bashar al-Assad's brother-in-law and deputy defense minister, the assistant to the vice president General Hasan Turkmani, and Hafez Makhlouf, head of investigations at the Syrian Intelligence Agency. However, Hafez Makhlouf was also reported to be wounded. The country's intelligence and national security chiefHisham Ikhtiyar was seriously wounded. There were conflicting reports on the fate of the Interior minister Mohammad al-Shaar with initial accounts stating that he had also been killed, but later state TV reported that he survived although wounded. Additional reports stated that he was in stable condition. Al-Shaar was reported dead later, according to Al Jazeera.Mohammed Saeed Bekheitan, the national secretary of the Ba'ath Party, was also wounded in the bombing.Press TV provided a conflicting report, indicating that Hisham Ikhityar had died in the bombing and that Mohammad al-Shaar had been wounded. On 20 July 2012, the death of Hisham Ikhtiyar was confirmed by Syrian authorities.
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