WHITFIELD: A new and dramatic security breach today in the heart of Syria's capital. A bomb attached to a diesel tanker exploded near a Damascus hotel. The hotel houses U.N. Monitors as the civil war in Syria rages on. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is monitoring events from Beirut. So Nick, you know do we have any claim of responsibility for this latest blast?</s>NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Free Syrian Army, the rebels, say that they were behind this attack. They say at 8:00 o'clock in the morning they meant to hit a defense ministry building where officials were meeting, but this blast went off incredibly closely to the hotel where United Nations monitors stay. I spoke to one U.N. official who said actually it appears to back onto the room window where she normally stays. But no U.N. personnel were harmed and the FSA saying that the U.N. were by no means their target and were pretty far away from where this device exploded. But really right in the heart of what's supposed to be the regime's safe sanctuary. And I'm sure it reminds many regime officials of a month ago how four senior officials were killed in the blast inside the national security industry. Those visions of black smoke again pouring out in the very center of Damascus. And further reports today of other attacks in the capital from the opposition Syrian observatory for human rights who say there have been clashes around different provinces in the capital and claim they have been using rocket-propelled grenades on the Iranian embassy's new building and the prime minister's office. Claims that are hard to confirm, although other reporters in the capital have said they've heard further explosions this afternoon -- Fred.</s>WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much. Nick Paton Walsh I appreciate that from Beirut. A crisis in America now and I'm not talking about unemployment. Millions are at risk of losing their homes and now one senator has a plan to help more of them avoid foreclosure. Hear his idea in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM.
Blast Near U.N. Monitors' Syrian Hotel