Moscow: Attack on Russian Embassy in Syria ’Act of Terror’

Local Editor

Moscow had condemned a mortar attack on the Russian embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus, calling it a "terrorist act".

"We treat the incident as terrorist act, aimed against the Russian embassy. We strongly condemn its perpetrators, organizers and instigators," said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich on Tuesday.

Russia reaffirms its solidarity with Syrian authorities in their effort to combat the terrorist threat in Syria, he added.

Further, Moscow had urged the international community "to give due assessment to the terrorist attack against the Russian diplomatic mission," Lukashevich said, adding that the country had also called for "an immediate" end to such acts.

On Tuesday afternoon, two mortar rounds hit the premises of the Russian embassy in Damascus, inflicting some material damage, but there were no casualties.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Jobar district of Damascus is the place from which "illegal armed groups" fired the shells.

Moreover, the United Nations Security Council had also strongly condemned the mortar shelling, calling it a "terrorist attack".

Syrian authorities responded quickly, promising to increase security and ensure the embassy's safety.

In a similar mortar attack against the Russian embassy in Syria, a shell landed near the embassy, killing a Syrian national and injuring nine security guards in late November 2013.

Syria had been grappling with a deadly crisis since March 2011. The violence fueled by Takfiri groups had so far claimed the lives of over 222,000 people, according to reports.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team