(CNN) -- At least 58 people in Syria were killed Tuesday in "terrorist" mortar and car bomb attacks in the city of Homs and the Damascus area, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency reported. A car bombing in Homs' al-Zahra neighborhood killed 40, SANA reported, citing an unnamed source in the area. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based monitoring group, also reported many casualties, including women and children, in the car bomb attack. It described al-Zahra as an Alawite neighborhood. Syria's President Bashar al-Assad is a member of the Alawite religious sect, which is an offshoot of Shia Islam.
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NEW: Mortar and car bomb attacks killed nearly 60 people, report says
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NEW: A car bombing in Homs' al-Zahra neighborhood kills 40, state news agency says
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The car bomb hits an Alawite area, says the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
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Chemical weapons watchdog says it is investigating chlorine gas attack claims
The unrest comes amid Syria's three-year civil war pitting government forces against rebels trying to end the rule of @placeholder.