Members of Assad inner circle were killed in Damascus on Wednesday, prompting new round of violence in the capital.
Assassinations Spark New Violence in Syria
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Journalists wait at al-Rawda Square, near a road that leads to the national security building where a bomb killed at least three top aides to President Assad, after access to the area was blocked in Damascus July 18, 2012.
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Men celebrate in the Lebanese town of Tripoli on July 18, 2012, after an attack in Damascus killed the Syria's defense minister, General Daoud Rajha.
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General Fahad Jassim al-Freij is seen in this handout released by Syria's national news agency SANA on July 18, 2012. Syria appointed Freij as defense minister, replacing Daoud Rajha, killed in an attack.
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In this image released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Fahd Jassem al-Freij, Syria's new defense minister, reads a statement after he was appointed by President Bashar Assad on July 18, 2012.