Two explosions hit Syria's military headquarters in Damascus at around 7 a.m. on Sept. 26, leaving at least two floors of the General Staff command building engulfed in flames. Unconfirmed reports claim that the Syrian army's chief of staff, Gen. Ali Abdullah Dayyoub, was killed in the blast, although Syrian Information Minister Omran Zoabi denied that any military leaders were killed. Plumes of black smoke and flames could be seen coming from the building after the blast, and residents reported hearing ambulance sirens and sporadic gunfire.

Rebels from the Free Syrian Army have claimed responsibility for the bombings and have said that dozens died in the attack. It is still unclear whether any Syrian military leaders were killed. But the building and the surrounding area are part of a Syrian military complex and are typically heavily guarded. This suggests that whoever planted the explosives had inside access or was able to circumvent security measures to enter the complex in Umayyad Square, one of the most secure areas of Damascus. The successful attack on such a high-value target — especially if senior military officials were killed in the operation — will erode confidence in the internal security of the already weakening regime.

A spate of bombings has targeted Syrian security headquarters. The most successful of these was the July 18 bombing of the Syrian National Security headquarters in Damascus that killed several high-ranking Syrian security officials, including the defense minister, deputy defense minister, interior minister and national security council chief.

At first take, this bombing does not seem to have had the same level of impact. Such attacks are typically carried out later in the morning, between 9 and 10 a.m., in order to better ensure a higher number of important targets are in the building; this one likely occurred before the building was fully occupied. It is also still currently unclear whether Dayyoub was killed.

But even without significant casualties, the attack will place additional stress on regime forces. The regime is already facing a war of attrition, is struggling to find recruits and is dealing with declining morale. Rebels are targeting the highest levels of the security and intelligence apparatus in a bid to strike a decisive blow to break the current stalemate. Fears of internal sabotage or betrayal will be on the rise.