Russian Missile Misses Syrian Target, Lands in Northern Cyprus

A projectile that hit a mountainside in the Northern Cyprus capital Nicosia yesterday may have been a Russian-made missile that missed a target in Syria.

"The first assessment is that a Russian-made missile, part of the air defense system, which was part of the air defense system that took place last night in the face of an airstrike against Syria, completed its range and fell into our country after it missed," Turkish Cypriot foreign minister Kudret Ozersay said on Monday.

The explosion happened around 1.00pm on Sunday in the region of Tashkent, some 20 kilometers northeast of Nicosia.

“The blast is linked to the military operations in the Middle East. It is evident it is not something stemming from our soil ... It is one of the bad sides of the war in the region falling into our country. We must investigate to establish the cause," Turkish Cypriot President Mustafa Akinci was quoted as saying by PressTV.

The incident reportedly came after the Syrian military "confronted" Israeli warplanes that fired missiles at military positions near the capital Damascus and the central city of Homs.

"Initial findings indicate the object that caused the explosion was either an aircraft carrying explosives or a direct explosive (missile). The writings and signs on the debris will allow us to understand exactly what happened soon," Ozersay said.

"An assessment from the pictures made public shows the base of its wings. It has Russian writing on it. Syria uses Russian-made missiles, so a not-so-safe assessment would be it was ... an S-200 (missile). The jamming technology could have led to the missile error," Andreas Pentaras, a retired army general, told Sigma TV in Cyprus.