Suspected Russian missile falls in Northern Cyprus

ANKARA

A missile which landed near a village in the Turkish Cypriot capital Lefkosa late Sunday is believed to be a Russian S-200, a Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) official said on Monday.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kudret Ozersay said the cause of the explosion is suspected to be a missile that missed its target and fell in Turkish Cyprus.

Ozersay said on Facebook that the incident took place in the village of Taskent located between Lefkosa and northern Girne.

"The first assessment is that a Russian-made missile, which was part of the air defense system that deployed last night in the face of an airstrike against Syria, fell into our country ... after it missed its target," he wrote.

Ozersay also said he spoke on the phone with Turkey's Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Guler about the incident and a news conference will be held shortly.

Later in the day, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry also issued a statement wishing the best for the Turkish Cypriot people and government.

“The incident is being brought to the attention of the UN and all related countries by the TRNC authorities and these initiatives are supported by our country,” ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said in a statement.

Aksoy also said there were no casualties from the explosion.

Syrian regime's official news agency SANA claimed that Israel conducted airstrikes on the outskirts of Damascus and on some military targets in the city of Homs. Israeli authorities have not confirmed the airstrikes.

*Writing by Fatih Hafiz Mehmet and Sena Guler