Syrian Defense Minister Dawood Rajaha, Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim al-Shaar as well as President Bashar al-Assad's brother in law were killed Wednesday in the suicide bombing that tore through the National Intelligence compound in the capital Damascus, according to Lebanese al-Manar TV.

The blast occurred at the time when some ministers and intelligence chiefs were having a meeting in the building targeted by a car bombing, according to the report of Syria's state TV, which also said serious injuries were caused to some of the officials present at the meeting.

The attack is the first of its kind in targeting high-profile figures in the capital, which has been rocked with intense clashes since Sunday.

The violence and turmoil that hit several Syrian cities since the start of the crisis has reached the heart of the capital Damascus, which has seen an unprecedented rise in clashes between the Syrian armed forces and armed rebels over the past few days.