Background
The attack followed two politically motivated assassinations in Syria that occurred in 2008. The first took place when Hezbollah member Imad Moughniyah was killed by a car bomb in February, 2008. The second occurred only a month before the car bombing in Damascus, when General Mohammed Suleiman, a high-ranking aide to President Bashar Assad was killed in Tartous.
Syria also experienced riots at a prison near Damascus earlier in the year. These events were all highly irregular, as Syria maintains a generally well-held grip on internal security. The Damascus car bombing has contributed to public fear that internal instability or subterfuge may be fueling these unexpected events.
Read more about this topic: 2008 Damascus Car Bombing
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