Massive Bomb Hits Syrian President's Defense Team

A massive suicide bombing in the heart of Damascus today killed the brother-in-law of President Bashar al-Assad, his defense minister and a former defense minister. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta observed, "The violence has only gotten worse and the loss of life has only increased, which tells us that this is a situation that is rapidly spinning out of control." The so-called Free Syrian Army says it coordinated today's attack with elite military guards close to Assad himself. Syria's information minister calls it "terrorism" facilitated by the intelligence services of Western countries, Gulf Arab states and Turkey. Sam Dagher is in Beirut, Lebanon, for the Wall Street Journal.