DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — A car bomb exploded Sunday in the central Syrian city of Homs, killing at least seven people, the country’s state news agency reported.

State news agency SANA said the vehicle targeted the Arman neighborhood, home to mostly minority Christians and Alawites, the sect of the President Bashar Assad. It said two rockets also were fired at the site after the bombing.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported the bombing and death toll.

The Arman neighborhood has been repeatedly hit by car bombs.

Syria’s conflict, which began as a 2011 uprising, has turned into a chaotic war with sectarian overtones. Mostly Sunni Muslim rebels fight against forces loyal to Assad. Extremist militant groups also fight other rebels and government forces. Car bombs have hit opposition and government-controlled areas of Syria.

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