The morning rush hour bombings in the suburb of Jaramana, just a few miles southeast of Damascus, were the latest to hit the overwhelmingly pro-regime town. The twin blasts appeared designed to maximize damage and casualties and bore the hallmarks of radical Muslim groups fighting alongside other rebel units in Syria.
Witnesses said the second explosion went off after people rushed in to help those injured from the first blast, a tactic often used by al-Qaeda in Iraq and elsewhere.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombings, but Jabhat al-Nusra, an al-Qaeda-inspired extremist group that has become one of Syria's most potent and organized rebel groups, has claimed numerous suicide bombings in the past, mostly targeting regime forces and security installations.
Wednesday's bombs went off in a parking lot near commercial buildings as groups of laborers and employees were arriving for work, killing 34 and injuring 83 people, state-run news agency SANA said.
The blasts sent people fleeing in panic, shattering windows and littering the streets with glass, debris, and pools of blood. Several commercial buildings were damaged, and dozens of cars were reduced to wreckage.
Ismail Zlaiaa, a 54-year-old resident of the neighborhood, said the area was packed with rush-hour passengers when the suicide bombers struck.
"God will not forgive the criminal perpetrators," he said.
Ibtissam Nseir, a 45-year-old teacher, said the bombs exploded minutes before she set off for work. She said there were no troops around the district and wondered why the attackers would target it. She blamed the rebels.
"Is this the freedom which they want?" she asked.
