This image taken from video obtained from Ugarit, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows a Syrian Army tank in the streets of the Jobar district of Damascus, Syria, Friday, April 26, 2013. On the streets of Damascus, the two-year old conflict dragged on Friday, with government troops pushing into two northern neighborhoods, triggering heavy fighting with rebels as they tried to advance under air and artillery support, activists said. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the fighting between rebels and soldiers backed by pro-government militiamen was concentrated in the Jobar and Barzeh areas.(AP Photo/Ugarit via AP video) (The Associated Press)
DAMASCUS, Syria – Syrian state-run TV says an explosion has taken place near a school in the capital, Damascus.
The TV says the blast struck on Monday in the capital's western neighborhood of Mazzeh. State-run news agency said there are casualties.
Damascus has been hit by a string of explosions in recent months that has left hundreds of people dead or wounded.
The Syrian government says Muslim extremists trying to overthrow President Bashar Assad are to blame for the attacks.
Syria's conflict started with largely peaceful protests against Assad's regime in March 2011 but eventually turned into civil war. The United Nations says that more than 70,000 people have been killed in the conflict so far.