Syrian lawmaker assassinated in central province

(AP)- Syria's state-run news agency and a government official say gunmen have assassinated a lawmaker in the restive central province of Hama.

SANA says Waris al-Younnes was gunned down while travelling on a road linking the city of Hama with the town of Salamiyeh. He represented Hama province in the parliament in Damascus.

A Syrian official told The Associated Press that al-Younnes was killed on Tuesday night. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Several Syrian officials have been assassinated since Syria's crisis began in March 2011.

One of the most dramatic assassinations during the civil war so far was in July 2012, when a bomb at a high-level crisis meeting in Damascus killed four top officials, including President Bashar Assad's brother-in-law and the defense minister.