Story highlights Courthouse strike was timed to inflict many casualties, Syrian official says

Another suicide attack occurred a couple of miles away, state news agency says

(CNN) Suicide bombings on Wednesday struck a courthouse and restaurant in the capital of Damascus, killing more than two dozen people and injuring others, Syrian state news said.

The violence unfolded as the Syrian conflict, which started in March 2011, enters its seventh year with no end in sight. An estimated 400,000 Syrians have been killed in the civil war, which the United Nations has called the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II.

On Wednesday, at least 25 people were killed at the Palace of Justice, the main courthouse in the city center of Damascus, Syrian state TV reported, citing police.

A number of people were wounded in the attack, which occurred during busy work hours. The Syrian prosecutor general said the strike was timed to inflict many casualties

Police tried to prevent the attacker from entering, but he was able to force his way in and blow himself up.

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