A senior Syrian army officer was wounded in a suicide bombing in a central Damascus district Monday, activists said, though the military denied the report.

Suicide bombings have become rare in the capital since the army pushed back rebels to the countryside almost two years ago.

A Syrian army source who spoke to Reuters denied a senior figure had been wounded. He said five people had staged the attack, which occurred in the bustling central district of Rukn al-Din.

Earlier, a Syrian army source on state television said the suicide bomber blew himself up in Rukn al-Din.

The heavily defended heart of government-controlled Damascus city has seen several major bombings over the past four years during a civil war that has killed more than 200,000 people.

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