As Syria’s civil war moves into a regional stalemate, the Assad government is securing more and more territory around the capital city of Damascus, and rebels are resorting to virtually random mortar volleys against the city’s central regions.
Today, one such volley hit the Russian embassy grounds in Damascus, killing a Syrian civilian and wounding nine Syrian soldiers who work as security for Russia, one of Syria’s closest allies.
It is the second such mortar hit against Russia’s embassy in the past few months, after another strike in September injured three and damaged the compound.
The US State department expressed “concern” for today’s strike, noting that embassies are immune from attack by international law. Russia’s Foreign Ministry condemned it as an “act of terrorism.”
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