A suicide bomber struck Wednesday at the heart of Syria's top command, killing three of President Bashar al-Assad's top security figures in an attack claimed by rebels who warned of more carnage to come. The attack which targeted Assad's inner core for the first time in a 16-month uprising came ahead of a showdown between the West and Russia and China over a UN resolution calling for sanctions. A Syrian security official told AFP the bombing was carried out by a bodyguard of one of the ministers or security chiefs at the meeting. The attacker had been wearing an explosives belt. [Link]