Police officials said on Thursday that a mortar shell hit a bus station in the al-Abasiyeen area of the capital, killing a young man and injuring eight others, Syria’s SANA news agency reported.

Two mortar shells fell near the Dirar Mosque in Bab Sharqi District, injuring fourteen people, according to the officials.

Another shell landed near a local hospital. No casualties have been reported for that incident.

Two mortar shells also hit Souq al-Hal in al-Zablatani area, injuring seven citizens and causing material damage.

Over the past few months, the Syrian capital has come under mortar attacks by the militant groups holed up on the outskirts of the city.

The Syria crisis began in March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of soldiers and security personnel, have been killed in the violence.

The Syrian government says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.

Damascus says the West and its regional allies, such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, are supporting the militants.

In an interview broadcast on Turkish television in April, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that if the militants take power in Syria, they could destabilize the entire Middle East region for decades.

“If the unrest in Syria leads to the partitioning of the country, or if the terrorist forces take control… the situation will inevitably spill over into neighboring countries and create a domino effect throughout the Middle East and beyond,” he stated.