A heroic Lebanese man handed his three-year-old son to his wife and jumped on top of a suicide bomber just seconds before the terrorist blew himself up, it has been claimed.

Qasim Hatoum is understood to have spotted a Saudi man preparing to detonate the explosives shortly after boarding a bus in a rare attack in the centre of the Syrian capital Damascus.

In a selfless act Hatoum sought to cushion the impact of the coming blast, handing his son to his wife before running towards the militant and leaping on top of him.

The terrorist - later confirmed as a member of Al Qaeda's Syrian-affiliate Al Nusra Front - was still able to blow himself up, killing at least six people, including Hatoum, and wounding 19 others.

However it is possible that the death toll could have even higher had Hatoum not heroically attempted to less the impact. It may even have killed his wife and child, the latter of whom is still receiving treatment for shrapnel wounds to the face at Damascus' Great Prophet Hospital.

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Blast: The bus, Lebanese number plates, had been carrying pilgrims close to Damascus' Sayyida Ruqayya shrine, according to television channel al-Manar, which is run by Lebanese Shi'ite movement Hezbollah

Carnage: Following the attack a social media account linked to Al Qaeda's Nusra Front said the hardline Sunni group was behind the blast, which took place near Hamidiyeh market place

Reports of Hatoum's bravery emerged two days after the terror attack on local news website Al Akhbar, where he was described as a 'martyr' who gave his life to save the lives of others.

The website claimed the suicide bomber had boarded the bus pretending to be a travelling salesman before standing at the front and preparing to blow himself up.

The bus, Lebanese number plates, had been carrying pilgrims close to Damascus' Sayyida Ruqayya shrine, according to television channel al-Manar, which is run by Lebanese Shi'ite movement Hezbollah.

Hatoum's funeral was held in the Burj Barajneh neighbourhood of Beirut yesterday, where mourners flocked to the streets and fired guns into the air to pay their respects before his burial at the nearby Alradov cemetery.

Following the attack a social media account linked to Al Qaeda's Nusra Front said the hardline Sunni group was behind the blast, which took place near Hamidiyeh market place.

Impact: Rescue workers sifted through the rubble and cleared away pools of blood from the ground

Torn apart: The Nusra Front Twitter feed said one of the group's members blew himself up inside a bus at the market. It posted a photo of a man it said was the bomber and another of the wrecked vehicle

Rescue workers sifted through the rubble and cleared away pools of blood from the ground.

Syria's state news agency SANA said the 'terrorist bombing' involved five kilograms of explosives placed in the front of the bus and that authorities had defused a second device inside a bag which was found on the floor of the vehicle.

On Sunday Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi told parliament that Syria aimed to 'flush out all terrorists' in 2015.

'Hezbollah condemns the bombing that infidel criminals carried out in Damascus,' a headline on the channel said, citing a statement from the group. It described the bombing as one in a series targeting visitors to Syria and civilians and said it should stiffen resolve to defeat such attackers.

Hezbollah has sent thousands of fighters over the border to support Syrian government forces battling an insurgency which has drawn in countries across the Middle East and stoked sectarian tensions.

Syria's Ikhbariya television showed footage of men and a woman in hospital with wounds. It also showed video of the blackened, wrecked bus and security services picking through the damage.

Clean-up: A Syrian soldier gathers evidence after the suicide bomb blast in central Damascus on Saturday

Trick: The suicide bomber is believed to have boarded the bus pretending to be a travelling salesman before standing at the front and preparing to blow himself up

The Nusra Front Twitter feed said one of the group's members blew himself up inside a bus at the market. It posted a photo of a man it said was the bomber and another of the wrecked vehicle.

Nusra Front has been battling the Syrian military as well as other insurgent groups in Syria. While fighting has raged on the outskirts of Damascus, attacks in the centre are not common.

In a speech to parliament broadcast on state television, Prime Minister Halqi said Syria would 'back any initiatives to fight global terrorism'.

Hours before the attack, he said Syria would not allow its enemies 'to destroy the land of religions and cradle of civilisations'.

Syria has repeatedly said it wants to coordinate with other countries to fight armed groups in its country. It describes all anti-government forces in Syria as terrorists, unlike Western countries and their Arab allies who distinguish between the hardline jihadists and more mainstream rebel fighters.