Mortar round targets Russian embassy in Damascus

A mortar round landed on the compound of the Russian Embassy here, Syrian news agency (SANA) said on Thursday. An insider of the embassy said attack took place this afternoon and led to minor damage to the embassy building and no casualties. Later, the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed that "mortar attacks by militants" in the central part of Damascus, including attacks on the territory of Russia's Embassy, have become more frequent recently. "We treat them as acts of terrorism, the perpetrators and those who encourage and direct them must be punished," the ministry said. In the recent months of the ongoing civil war in Syria, rebels have launched a number of mortar shells into an upscale area of Damascus, which houses many embassies and senior Syrian officials.