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LEMON: A deadly attack in Syria strikes at the very heart of President Bashar al Assad's regime and sends Syrians into the streets to celebrate. A device exploded during a crisis meeting of top government officials in Damascus today killing four members of President Assad's inner circle. Among the dead are Syria's defense minister and his deputy, who was also Assad's close friend and brother-in-law. Syrian's interior minister and President Assad's security advisor are also dead. Syrian rebels are claiming responsibility. Now this attack is grabbing the attention of the highest levels of world governments. President Obama and Russian President Putin talk about Syria by phone. And, this morning, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta called for an international effort to get President Assad to quit.</s>LEON PANETTA, DEFENSE SECRETARY: This is a situation that is rapidly spinning out of control. And for that reason, it's extremely important that the international community, working with other countries that have concerns in that area, have to bring maximum pressure on Assad to do what's right, to step down and to allow for that peaceful transition.</s>LEMON: Now to CNN's Arwa Damon tracking all of the developments in Syria from her vantage point in Beirut. Lebanon. So, Arwa, this is the rebels boldest move yet. And they are better armed and better coordinated than many has suspected.</s>ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And they are certainly developing pretty sophisticated capabilities if, in fact, this was an attack that they did carry out. According to one of their deputy commanders, this was a by-product of some pretty lengthy coordination between a number of free Syrian army Damascus brigades, as well as those coming from other parts of the country. They managed to somehow get these explosives into the national security headquarters, where this meeting is said to have taken place, and then detonate them by remote. An indication that there must have been some sort of inside help. Someone who had access to these individuals, to this highly secure location, sympathizing with the opposition and with the rebels. This is certain to be sending President Bashar al Assad a clear message that he and his inner circle are not safe. Now, there have been some conflicting reports, Don, though, as to what exactly has taken place. The government is saying that it was carried out by a terrorist who was wearing a suicide vest. But we're really seeing the ripple effect of this throughout all of Damascus.</s>LEMON: So they're going to -- they think it's an inside job. The question is, too, where was President Assad at the time, Arwa?</s>DAMON: Yes. His locations always very difficult to ascertain. As far as we are aware, he was not at this meeting. He could have been at the presidential palace. It is not that far away from where this meeting is said to have taken place. This just in the hilltops above it. This particular neighborhood is very close to where the U.S. embassy used to be up until it closed back earlier this year. It is also very close to where the president himself resides. Out of all of these four individuals that were killed, it is perhaps the deputy minister of defense, so not the highest ranking official, but the most significant. Assef Shawkat was the president's brother- in-law, close friend, confidant. The man who many people said was really the strong arm, the iron fist behind the president himself. The news that we're getting from Damascus right now are of complete and total chaos, Don. Clashes in a number of neighborhoods. Intense shelling. Reports that pro-government thugs are taking to the streets with knives. It's most certainly not an image of a government that has control over its own capital at this point.</s>LEMON: Arwa Damon reporting. Thank you, Arwa. And can anything -- anything be done about the unrest in Syria? Our Wolf Blitzer has a rare interview today with King Abdullah of Jordan. Watch "The Situation Room" today 4:00 p.m. Eastern right here of course on CNN. Ninety-six million acres, 96 million acres of corn planted this spring. Millions of acres dry as a bone this summer. It is the worst drought in decades. Our severe weather team joins us next.