WASHINGTON – The bombing in Damascus that killed at least three top Syrian officials shows the country’s crisis is “rapidly spinning out of control,” Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Wednesday. U.S. officials were unsure whether it was an insider attack, but they suggested it could mark a turning point in the 16-month conflict.

To turn up the heat, the Obama administration slapped financial sanctions on many top members in Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government, targeting the prime minister and 28 other cabinet ministers and senior officials.

The Treasury Department announced the sanctions just hours after the bombing in Damascus.