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18 July 2012
Last updated at 14:25 GMT
No footage has yet emerged of the attack on the national security HQ.
It comes as rebels claim to have launched an offensive on the capital.
The army's fourth division, commanded by the president's brother, Maher al-Assad, is considered one of the army's best-equipped.
'Criminal gangs' The BBC's Lina Sinjab in Damascus says none of the windows of the national security building appears to be broken. There is no sign of extra security, she adds.
A statement by the armed forces read out on TV said Syria was "more determined than ever" to fight terrorism and wipe out "criminal gangs".
Whoever thinks that killing top commanders "can twist Syria's arm... is delusional", it said.
But the BBC's Jim Muir, in neighbouring Lebanon, says that the rebels now clearly believe that victory is within sight, and the deaths will give them even greater heart.
Security sources say the suspected bomber worked as a bodyguard for members of President Bashar al-Assad's inner circle.
Gen Rajiha had been defence minister for less than a year, serving previously as chief of staff, and was on a US blacklist for his role in the suppression of dissent.
He was believed to be an Orthodox Christian - a rarity in the Alawite-dominated Syrian military and government.
Gen Shawkat was considered a top security chief and a member of the inner circle of the regime. He is married to Mr Assad's sister Bushra.
The defence minister has been replaced by Gen Fahd Jassim al-Furayj, state TV reports, chief of staff of the armed forces.
'Damascus volcano' Witnesses at the site of the bombing, in Rawda district, said journalists were banned from approaching.
"The terrorist explosion which targeted the national security building in Damascus occurred during a meeting of ministers and a number of heads of [security] agencies," the TV said.
The reports say that Hisham Ikhtiar, director the National Security Bureau, and Interior Minister Mohammad Ibrahim al-Shaar, were among those injured in the attack.
A rebel spokeswoman, Susan Ahmad, told the BBC the entrances to Damascus were closed on Wednesday morning.
"Now tanks are storming into al-Qaboun [district], shelling everything, shelling residential houses, shooting every moving thing and they are trying to arrest people and kill.
"People are trying to run away and get out of al-Qaboun."
Activists have also posted on the internet pictures of what they say is a barracks on the heights overlooking the city engulfed in flames.
They believed it had been hit by fire from Free Syrian Army
(FSA) rebels, and said the barracks was involved in providing security
for the presidential palace complex below.
State media said security forces fought off attacks by small groups of armed terrorists in the city.
But the TV carried night-time footage of troops deployed in the Midan quarter, in some very tense and deserted streets.
The rebels have declared a final battle for the capital, calling it Operation Damascus Volcano, and have been fighting troops in several parts of Damascus for the past three days.
The fighting reached central areas on Tuesday, with gunfire and plumes of smoke reported in a street near parliament.
The Free Syrian Army said the operation was well planned, and they had sent hundreds of fighters to the capital last week to be in place for the assault.
The rebels and the government often publish contradictory accounts of the same incidents.
Western journalists are under heavy restrictions in Syria, making it difficult to verify the claims of either side.
Diplomatic efforts Hours before the UN Security Council was due to vote on a new round of sanctions against Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that the battle for the country's capital was under way.
UN chiefs, who have until Friday to renew the mandate for observers in Syria, have been trying to persuade China and Russia to agree tougher measures on Damascus.
Speaking at a news conference with his UK counterpart in Washington, US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said the situation appeared to be spiralling rapidly out of control.
Opposition groups say as many as 16,000 people have died in Syria since protests against President Assad began in March last year.
Syria ministers 'killed in blast'
Defence minister Daoud Rajiha appeared on Syrian TV regularly
Syria's
defence minister and his deputy, President Assad's brother-in-law, have
died in a suicide bombing in Damascus, state TV says.
Daoud Rajiha and Assef Shawkat had been at a meeting attended
by the national security chief and interior minister, who were also
said to have been critically wounded.No footage has yet emerged of the attack on the national security HQ.
It comes as rebels claim to have launched an offensive on the capital.
Continue reading the main story
The Syrian crisis appears to have moved onto a new level.
In the space of two days, some of President Assad's inner circle of power, including his brother-in-law, have been killed, an army barracks overlooking the presidential palace has been engulfed in flames, and clashes have been moving closer to the heart of the capital.
It doesn't necessarily mean the end is imminent, as opposition circles and armed rebels on the ground clearly believe.
The battle for Damascus has barely begun. If it remains a purely military affair, the regime still has a daunting superiority in weaponry and manpower.
But with international diplomacy effectively paralysed, the pressure within the crisis seems to be building up, to an intensity where more surprises may be expected.
Analysis
In the space of two days, some of President Assad's inner circle of power, including his brother-in-law, have been killed, an army barracks overlooking the presidential palace has been engulfed in flames, and clashes have been moving closer to the heart of the capital.
It doesn't necessarily mean the end is imminent, as opposition circles and armed rebels on the ground clearly believe.
The battle for Damascus has barely begun. If it remains a purely military affair, the regime still has a daunting superiority in weaponry and manpower.
But with international diplomacy effectively paralysed, the pressure within the crisis seems to be building up, to an intensity where more surprises may be expected.
The rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA)
and a jihadist group calling itself Lord of the Martyrs Brigade both
said they were behind the bombing.
Hours after the attack, several explosions were reported
close to the base of an army division responsible for guarding the
presidential palace. However Syria's information minister denied that
they had taken place.The army's fourth division, commanded by the president's brother, Maher al-Assad, is considered one of the army's best-equipped.
'Criminal gangs' The BBC's Lina Sinjab in Damascus says none of the windows of the national security building appears to be broken. There is no sign of extra security, she adds.
A statement by the armed forces read out on TV said Syria was "more determined than ever" to fight terrorism and wipe out "criminal gangs".
Whoever thinks that killing top commanders "can twist Syria's arm... is delusional", it said.
But the BBC's Jim Muir, in neighbouring Lebanon, says that the rebels now clearly believe that victory is within sight, and the deaths will give them even greater heart.
Security sources say the suspected bomber worked as a bodyguard for members of President Bashar al-Assad's inner circle.
Gen Rajiha had been defence minister for less than a year, serving previously as chief of staff, and was on a US blacklist for his role in the suppression of dissent.
The Syrian government's information minister Omran Zoab, said the attack was cowardly
Gen Shawkat was considered a top security chief and a member of the inner circle of the regime. He is married to Mr Assad's sister Bushra.
The defence minister has been replaced by Gen Fahd Jassim al-Furayj, state TV reports, chief of staff of the armed forces.
'Damascus volcano' Witnesses at the site of the bombing, in Rawda district, said journalists were banned from approaching.
"The terrorist explosion which targeted the national security building in Damascus occurred during a meeting of ministers and a number of heads of [security] agencies," the TV said.
The reports say that Hisham Ikhtiar, director the National Security Bureau, and Interior Minister Mohammad Ibrahim al-Shaar, were among those injured in the attack.
Continue reading the main story
Syria bomb attacks
- 23 Dec 2011 - 44 people killed in twin car bomb attacks in Damascus
- 10 Feb 2012 - 28 people killed as security compounds hit by two suicide car bombs in Aleppo
- 17 Mar - 27 people die in explosions in Damascus near intelligence and security buildings
- 10 May - Two suicide bombers blow themselves up outside military intelligence in Damascus killing 55
Earlier, activists reported more clashes during the night in several areas around the south-west of Damascus.
They said the government had brought more troops and armour
into some districts, and that several people had been killed in clashes
and bombardments. A rebel spokeswoman, Susan Ahmad, told the BBC the entrances to Damascus were closed on Wednesday morning.
"Now tanks are storming into al-Qaboun [district], shelling everything, shelling residential houses, shooting every moving thing and they are trying to arrest people and kill.
"People are trying to run away and get out of al-Qaboun."
Activists have also posted on the internet pictures of what they say is a barracks on the heights overlooking the city engulfed in flames.
Footage purporting to show a barracks overlooking the presidential palace on fire was posted on the internet
State media said security forces fought off attacks by small groups of armed terrorists in the city.
But the TV carried night-time footage of troops deployed in the Midan quarter, in some very tense and deserted streets.
The rebels have declared a final battle for the capital, calling it Operation Damascus Volcano, and have been fighting troops in several parts of Damascus for the past three days.
The fighting reached central areas on Tuesday, with gunfire and plumes of smoke reported in a street near parliament.
The Free Syrian Army said the operation was well planned, and they had sent hundreds of fighters to the capital last week to be in place for the assault.
The rebels and the government often publish contradictory accounts of the same incidents.
Western journalists are under heavy restrictions in Syria, making it difficult to verify the claims of either side.
Diplomatic efforts Hours before the UN Security Council was due to vote on a new round of sanctions against Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that the battle for the country's capital was under way.
UN chiefs, who have until Friday to renew the mandate for observers in Syria, have been trying to persuade China and Russia to agree tougher measures on Damascus.
Speaking at a news conference with his UK counterpart in Washington, US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said the situation appeared to be spiralling rapidly out of control.
Opposition groups say as many as 16,000 people have died in Syria since protests against President Assad began in March last year.
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