Syrian violence: Volleyball coach killed near Damascus

Beirut: Syrian state media say a volleyball coach who was a former national team player has been killed in an ambush near Damascus. State news agency SANA says 34-year-old Firas al-Eid was killed when gunmen fired at his car while he was driving from the central city of Homs to Damascus late Tuesday. [caption id=“attachment_982759” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Syrian rebels. Representative image. Agencies.[/caption] A Syrian General Sports Federation official, Tareq Hatem, told SANA on Wednesday that “terrorists” were behind the attack on al-Eid, a term the government uses for rebels fighting to oust President Bashar Assad. The highway linking Damascus with Homs, Syria’s third largest city, has recently been the scene of heavy fighting between government troops and rebels. Al-Eid served as a coach for Syria’s national women’s youth team and had played on the national team. AP