DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — A suicide bomber blew himself up across the street from a mosque in the Syrian capital today, killing at least five people and wounding 20, state TV said. Thousands of Syrians protested elsewhere to denounce persistent violence by President Bashar Assad’s regime.

The explosion was the latest in a wave of blasts in Syrian cities in recent months, despite a diplomatic push to end the year-old crisis. An uprising against Assad that began in March 2011 with largely peaceful protests has morphed into an armed insurgency.

The blast in the capital’s Midan neighborhood went off across the street from a mosque. Anti-government protests, which usually take place on Fridays across the country, typically begin following noon prayers as worshippers stream out of mosques.

Civilians and police were among those killed, according to state TV. In January, an explosion in the same area killed at least 26 people and wounded 63.

Also today, activists reported that thousands of people protested in the northern city of Aleppo, the central region of Hama and the northern province of Idlib.

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