Reporters at the site said two shells had been fired at Russia’s embassy in the Syrian capital on Tuesday, creating panic among the several hundred people who had gathered for a pro-Russia demonstration.
Russia Television tweeted a picture of the shelling.
According to a photographer from the AFP news agency, about 300 demonstrators were present at the site. It was not immediately clear whether there were any casualties.
Meanwhile, the Nusra Front, an affiliate of al Qaeda in Syria, released a statement calling jihadists to attack Russian civilians and soldiers.
“If the Russian army kills the people of Syria, then kill their people. And, if they kill our soldiers, then kill their soldiers. An eye for an eye,” Nusra Front leader Abu Mohamed al-Golani said in the statement.
Tuesday’s rockets come two weeks after Russia began its airstrikes and ground attacks targeting the “Islamic State” in Syria. However, there are reports that the offensive is being waged in areas controlled by forces opposing Syrian President Bashar Assad – a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
mg/mkg (AFP, AP)
