Syrians braced for mass protests on Friday, a day after at least 55 people were killed in twin bombings that marked the deadliest attack since the start of the anti-government uprising 14 months ago. The car bomb explosions in Damascus Thursday were among a string of attacks that have occurred since U.N. observers arrived in Syria to monitor a shaky cease-fire brokered by international envoy Kofi Annan in April. Friday, the government urged the U.N. Security Council to take action to combat terrorism, in the wake Thursday’s blasts. State media said the government made the plea in letters to the Security Council and U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon.  It said “escalating crimes” were proof that Syria is facing terrorist attacks led by groups receiving foreign support. U.N. observers toured Damascus on Friday.  Observer mission spokesman Neeraj Singh said the number of international monitors and staff members taking part in the mission had grown to 150. “You have the world coming together, the world community coming together to be with the people of Syria to see in what way we can help.  The most important thing being that violence in all its forms has to stop,” Singh said. The head of Syria’s main opposition group said al-Qaida-linked forces with ties to the Syrian government were responsible for Thursday’s blasts. Kofi Annan’s Six-Point Peace Plan A Syrian-led political process to address the aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people. A U.N. supervised end to armed violence by all parties in Syria. Timely humanitarian assistance in all areas affected by fighting. Increasing the pace and scale of release of arbitrarily detained people. Ensuring freedom of movement for journalists. Respecting freedom of association and the right to demonstrate peacefully. At a Friday news conference in Tokyo, Burhan Ghalioun said the government was trying to sabotage the peace plan brokered by international envoy Kofi Annan. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blasts, which further shredded the April 12 cease-fire declared by Annan. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told reporters U.S. intelligence indicates “an al-Qaida presence in Syria,” but said the extent of its activity is unclear. The United Nations says more than 9,000 people have been killed in violence related to the anti-government uprising which erupted in March 2011. Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. Join the conversation on our social journalism site – Middle East Voices . Follow our Middle East reports on Twitter and discuss them on our Facebook page.

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Syrian state media say more than 40 people were killed when twin explosions ripped through a Damascus neighborhood on Thursday, as U.N. monitors try to enforce a shaky cease-fire between the government and rebels. The explosions erupted as many Syrians were reporting to work. The opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the blasts took place near an office for security forces. The state-run SANA news agency showed photos of the twisted wreckage of vehicles and what appeared to be human remains. The government blamed “terrorists” for the explosions which left 170 people wounded. The French news agency says the main opposition group, the Syrian National Council, blamed the government. The explosions occurred a day after a roadside bombing near the flashpoint city of Daraa wounded 10 soldiers who were escorting a team of U.N. observers. The observer mission leader, Norwegian Major General Robert Mood, visited Thursday’s blast sites where he condemned the violence and called for calm. “This is a terrible kind of violence that is deplorable,” said Mood. “It is the kind of violence that is not deserved by the Syrian people.” U.N. observers have been fanning out across Syria to monitor compliance to the cease-fire, which is part of a peace plan negotiated by international envoy Kofi Annan. The United Nations says more than 9,000 people have been killed in violence related to the anti-government uprising which erupted more than a year ago. The government has blamed armed terrorist groups for much of the unrest.   Meanwhile, vote-counting continues from Monday’s parliamentary elections in Syria. Opposition groups have dismissed the elections as a sham. Some information for this report was provided by AP. Join the conversation on our social journalism site – Middle East Voices . Follow our Middle East reports on Twitter and discuss them on our Facebook page.

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A roadside blast wounded six Syrian soldiers as they escorted United Nations monitors toward the restive southern town of Dara’a. The explosion hit a military vehicle accompanying the U.N. convoy, blasting out its windows A statement from the office of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the blast, and other violence throughout Syria, “call into question the commitment of the parties to the cessation of violence.”   Observer mission leader Norwegian Major General Robert Mood was part of the convoy and condemned the attack.  He is quoted by his spokesman as saying it was “an example of what the Syrian people were suffering on a daily basis” and that “all forms of violence must stop.”   U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland called the bombing “another example of why we have got to continue to put the pressure on the Assad regime.”  She “the bulk of the responsibility” for the violence is in the hands of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. and injuring those inside. The head of the U.N. monitoring mission, General Robert Mood, was in the group headed toward Dara’a, but neither he nor any of the observers was hurt. One of the wounded soldiers described the scene. He said the U.N. delegation and the military escorts had just crossed a checkpoint when the bomb exploded. An Associated Press reporter traveling behind the convoy said the blast set off a thick plume of black smoke. The U.N. vehicles are reported to have passed by the blast site only seconds before. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes one day after the International Committee of the Red Cross noted the armed wing of the opposition has turned increasingly to guerrilla tactics. The rebel Free Syrian Army, which has relied largely on machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, has been out-gunned by the heavy weaponry of the Syrian military. The U.N. observer mission is in Syria to monitor a cease-fire agreed to by both sides last month. Hundreds of people have been killed in fighting, hoever, since the truce went into effect. The U.N. has acknowledged the challenge of the mission, which now comprises several dozen monitors plus civilian advisers. The U.N. plans to boost the team to 300 by the end of the month. The violence of the past 14 months has wearied many Syrians who have not taken sides in the conflict. The aim of the U.N. plan is to create an atmosphere that is calm enough to allow political talks to get underway, something Damascus University student Rawan Tahmoush hopes will happen soon. She said all parties should make concessions for the country’s sake. In the end, she added, the country is “ours, whether we are for the government or against.” Watch the interview with Rawan Tahmoush Join the conversation on our social journalism site – Middle East Voices . Follow our Middle East reports on Twitter and discuss them on our Facebook page.

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