World Bulletin/News Desk

A Syrian member of parliament was assassinated early on Wednesday, the country’s state-run SANA news agency has reported.

Waris al-Younes, 45, who represented the central Hama province, was killed by unidentified armed men who opened fire on his car on the road between Hama and Al-Salamiya.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. SANA reports that a civilian driver was also killed in the gunfire near Al-Twaikiye crossroads.

Syria has been in the throes of conflict since 2011 when a peaceful uprising against President Bashar al-Assad escalated into civil war following a violent government crackdown.

The U.N. in August said that more than 191,000 people are believed to have been killed in the conflict so far.