Russia says Damascus embassy came under shell attack

The Russian embassy in Damascus came under shell fire on Thursday and Friday, the foreign ministry in Moscow said, blaming an attack by “terrorists.”

One shell fell about 20 metres (yards) from the embassy’s main entrance and the other hit the ground inside the compound, between offices and a residential building, it said in a statement.

The shells “did not cause casualties but inflicted material damage,” it said.

The ministry said the attack came from a district held by “terrorists” who sought to wreck the truce in Syria and derail Russian-backed efforts for a “political process” leading to lasting peace.

“This crime will not go unpunished,” it warned.

The embassy came under similar attack several times in late December, but also without suffering casualties.

Russia is a major player in the Syrian war, intervening militarily in favour of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

More than 310,000 people have been killed in the conflict since 2011.