Syria soldiers 'killed in blast'

At least 16 Syrian soldiers have been killed in a bomb attack and the fighting that followed in a Damascus suburb, activists have said.

The explosion prompted violence at a checkpoint near the mainly-Christian area of Jaramana, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

State media are blaming "terrorists" for the events but are not giving further details.

Jim Muir, reporting from Beirut, says at least two bombs appear to have been dropped by government planes in retaliation for the attack.