The bombing that killed at least two top Syrian defense officials is evidence that violence there is "rapidly spinning out of control," and it underscores the urgent need for a political solution, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Wednesday, AP cited him as saying. Appearing with Panetta at a Pentagon news conference, British Defense Minister Philip Hammond said the escalating violence indicates that the rebels feel emboldened and that the government of President Bashar Assad is suffering "probably some fragmentation around the edges" as it struggles to keep a grip on power. "There is a sense that the situation is deteriorating and is becoming more and more unpredictable," Hammond said. A bomb ripped through a high-level security meeting Wednesday in the Syrian capital, killing some top regime officials, including Assad's brother-in-law. Syrian state-run TV confirmed the deaths of Defense Minister Dawoud Rajha, a former army general and the most senior government official to be killed in the rebels' battle to oust Assad; and Gen. Assef Shawkat, the deputy defense minister and one of the most feared figures in Assad's inner circle. He is married to Assad's elder sister, Bushra. An authority with direct knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that Hassan Turkmani, a former defense minister, also was killed. The bombing was the harshest blow to the government's inner circle in the 16-month uprising. -- SPA
