NICOSIA (Reuters) - An errant missile struck Cyprus early Monday, skimming the densely populated capital Nicosia and crashing on a mountainside in what officials said could have been a spillover of an Israeli strike on Syria and a counter response.

The explosion occurred around 1 a.m. (2200 GMT Sunday) in the region of Tashkent, also known as Vouno, some 20 kms (12 miles) northeast of Nicosia, with the impact setting hills ablaze and heard for miles around. There were no casualties.

An Israeli air strike was underway against Syria at the time. Syrian state media said the Syrian air defenses had fired in response to the Israeli attack.

“The first assessment is that a Russian-made missile ... which was part of the air defense system that took place last night in the face of an air strike against Syria, completed its range and fell into our country after it missed,” Turkish Cypriot Foreign Minister Kudret Ozersay said in a post on Facebook.

He said the explosion was thought to have occurred before impact because there were no craters.

“The pieces that fell to several different points prove that the missile exploded in the air before it crashed,” he said.

Cyprus lies west of Syria. Israeli warplanes fired missiles targeting Syrian military positions in Homs - around 310 kilometers (193 miles) from Nicosia - and the Damascus outskirts overnight in an attack that killed at least four civilians and wounded another 21.

The freak incident would be the first time that Cyprus has been caught in the crosshairs of military operations in the Middle East despite its proximity to the region.

A Greek Cypriot military analyst, Andreas Pentaras, said the debris suggested it was a Russian-made S-200 missile, which can have a range of up to 400 kilometers.

“An assessment from the pictures made public shows the base of its wings. It has Russian writing on it, so it suggests it is Russian made. Syria uses Russian-made missiles, so a not-so-safe assessment would be it was .. an S-200 (missile),” Pentaras, a retired army general, told Sigma TV in Cyprus.

Jamming technology could have diverted the missile, he said. Another analyst said that, should the missile hypothesis prove to be correct, it could have been faulty.

“Right now we can’t be absolute but from the pictures and the inscriptions it appears to be an S-200,” analyst Zenonas Tziarras of the Geopolitical Cyprus think-tank told Reuters.

Those missiles were designed to explode in mid-air if they don’t hit a target, he said.

Residents told Cypriot media they saw a light in the sky then three loud explosions were heard for miles around. Tashkent is a small village in the foothills of a mountain range rimming northern Cyprus. Authorities evacuated some homes. </s> NICOSIA (Reuters) – An errant missile struck Cyprus early Monday, skimming the densely populated capital Nicosia and crashing on a mountainside in what officials said could have been a spillover of an Israeli strike on Syria and a counter response.

The explosion occurred around 1 a.m. (2200 GMT Sunday) in the region of Tashkent, also known as Vouno, some 20 kms (12 miles) northeast of Nicosia, with the impact setting hills ablaze and heard for miles around. There were no casualties.

An Israeli air strike was underway against Syria at the time. Syrian state media said the Syrian air defenses had fired in response to the Israeli attack.

“The first assessment is that a Russian-made missile … which was part of the air defense system that took place last night in the face of an air strike against Syria, completed its range and fell into our country after it missed,” Turkish Cypriot Foreign Minister Kudret Ozersay said in a post on Facebook.

He said the explosion was thought to have occurred before impact because there were no craters.

“The pieces that fell to several different points prove that the missile exploded in the air before it crashed,” he said.

Cyprus lies west of Syria. Israeli warplanes fired missiles targeting Syrian military positions in Homs – around 310 kilometers (193 miles) from Nicosia – and the Damascus outskirts overnight in an attack that killed at least four civilians and wounded another 21.

The freak incident would be the first time that Cyprus has been caught in the crosshairs of military operations in the Middle East despite its proximity to the region.

A Greek Cypriot military analyst, Andreas Pentaras, said the debris suggested it was a Russian-made S-200 missile, which can have a range of up to 400 kilometers.

“An assessment from the pictures made public shows the base of its wings. It has Russian writing on it, so it suggests it is Russian made. Syria uses Russian-made missiles, so a not-so-safe assessment would be it was .. an S-200 (missile),” Pentaras, a retired army general, told Sigma TV in Cyprus.

Jamming technology could have diverted the missile, he said. Another analyst said that, should the missile hypothesis prove to be correct, it could have been faulty.

“Right now we can’t be absolute but from the pictures and the inscriptions it appears to be an S-200,” analyst Zenonas Tziarras of the Geopolitical Cyprus think-tank told Reuters.

Those missiles were designed to explode in mid-air if they don’t hit a target, he said.

Residents told Cypriot media they saw a light in the sky then three loud explosions were heard for miles around. Tashkent is a small village in the foothills of a mountain range rimming northern Cyprus. Authorities evacuated some homes. </s> NICOSIA (Reuters) - An errant missile struck Cyprus early Monday, skimming the densely populated capital Nicosia and crashing on a mountainside in what officials said could have been a spillover of an Israeli strike on Syria and a counter response.

The explosion occurred around 1 a.m. (2200 GMT Sunday) in the region of Tashkent, also known as Vouno, some 20 kms (12 miles) northeast of Nicosia, with the impact setting hills ablaze and heard for miles around. There were no casualties.

An Israeli air strike was underway against Syria at the time. Syrian state media said the Syrian air defences had fired in response to the Israeli attack.

“The first assessment is that a Russian-made missile ... which was part of the air defense system that took place last night in the face of an air strike against Syria, completed its range and fell into our country after it missed,” Turkish Cypriot Foreign Minister Kudret Ozersay said in a post on Facebook.

He said the explosion was thought to have occurred before impact because there were no craters.

“The pieces that fell to several different points prove that the missile exploded in the air before it crashed,” he said.

Cyprus lies west of Syria. Israeli warplanes fired missiles targeting Syrian military positions in Homs - around 310 kilometres (193 miles) from Nicosia - and the Damascus outskirts overnight in an attack that killed at least four civilians and wounded another 21.

The freak incident would be the first time that Cyprus has been caught in the crosshairs of military operations in the Middle East despite its proximity to the region.

A Greek Cypriot military analyst, Andreas Pentaras, said the debris suggested it was a Russian-made S-200 missile, which can have a range of up to 400 kilometres.

“An assessment from the pictures made public shows the base of its wings. It has Russian writing on it, so it suggests it is Russian made. Syria uses Russian-made missiles, so a not-so-safe assessment would be it was .. an S-200 (missile),” Pentaras, a retired army general, told Sigma TV in Cyprus.

Jamming technology could have diverted the missile, he said. Another analyst said that, should the missile hypothesis prove to be correct, it could have been faulty.

“Right now we can’t be absolute but from the pictures and the inscriptions it appears to be an S-200,” analyst Zenonas Tziarras of the Geopolitical Cyprus think-tank told Reuters.

Those missiles were designed to explode in mid-air if they don’t hit a target, he said.

Residents told Cypriot media they saw a light in the sky then three loud explosions were heard for miles around. Tashkent is a small village in the foothills of a mountain range rimming northern Cyprus. Authorities evacuated some homes. </s> At dawn of July 1, 19 kilometers from the capital Nicosia was rocked by a powerful explosion. The sky was lit up with a bright purple flash. The frightened people ran outside, not knowing what was happening. Soon near the village of Tashkent were found large fragments of the rocket. Military experts believe that the missile is Russian-made S-200!

Fortunately, no one was hurt. The rocket exploded in the air. On the ground formed a deep crater. Burned a few bushes.

How do you think the Turkish military (the Northern part of Cyprus is controlled by Turkey), the missile was fired from Syrian territory. Apparently, this was done by the soldiers of the army of Bashar al-Assad. The night the Israeli military fired on Syrian positions in HOMS and Damascus. The attack killed 15 people, including six civilians. This was stated by the state news Agency of Syria SANA. Information was confirmed by the Syrian Observatory for human rights.

Syrian soldiers tried to shoot down Israeli missiles. Used with the S-200, which Russia supplies to Syria. Several Russian-made missiles hit the target. But one flew past and overcome no less than 320 km, exploded over Cyprus.

If this information is officially confirmed (at the present time experts have carefully studied the pieces, found near Nicosia), Cyprus first came unwittingly embroiled in a military conflict in Syria.

We read in the Telegram channel, Facebook and Twitter </s> NICOSIA: An errant missile struck Cyprus early Monday (Jul 1), skimming the densely populated capital Nicosia and crashing on a mountainside in what officials said could have been a spillover of an Israeli strike on Syria and a counter response.

The explosion occurred around 1 am (2200 GMT Sunday) in the region of Tashkent, also known as Vouno, some 20 km northeast of Nicosia, with the impact setting hills ablaze and heard for miles around. There were no casualties.

An Israeli air strike was underway against Syria at the time. Syrian state media said the Syrian air defences had fired in response to the Israeli attack.

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

He said the explosion was thought to have occurred before impact because there were no craters.

"The pieces that fell to several different points prove that the missile exploded in the air before it crashed," he said.

Cyprus lies west of Syria. Israeli warplanes fired missiles targeting Syrian military positions in Homs - around 310 km from Nicosia - and the Damascus outskirts overnight in an attack that killed at least four civilians and wounded another 21.

The freak incident would be the first time that Cyprus has been caught in the crosshairs of military operations in the Middle East despite its proximity to the region.

A Greek Cypriot military analyst, Andreas Pentaras, said the debris suggested it was a Russian-made S-200 missile, which can have a range of up to 400 km.

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

Jamming technology could have diverted the missile, he said. Another analyst said that, should the missile hypothesis prove to be correct, it could have been faulty.

"Right now we can't be absolute but from the pictures and the inscriptions it appears to be an S-200," analyst Zenonas Tziarras of the Geopolitical Cyprus think-tank told Reuters.

Those missiles were designed to explode in mid-air if they don't hit a target, he said.

Residents told Cypriot media they saw a light in the sky then three loud explosions were heard for miles around.

Tashkent is a small village in the foothills of a mountain range rimming northern Cyprus. Authorities evacuated some homes. </s> A missile has landed on the side of a mountain in Cyprus in what officials say could be a spillover of an Israeli strike on Syria and a counter response.

The impact occurred at about 1am (10pm GMT) in the area of Taşkent, also known as Vouno, 12 miles (20km) north-east of Nicosia, with the explosion setting hills ablaze and being heard for miles around. There were no casualties.

An Israeli airstrike was under way against Syria at the time. Syrian state media said the country’s air defences had fired in response to the attack.

Kudret Özersay, the Turkish Cypriot foreign minister, wrote on Facebook: “The first assessment is that a Russian-made missile … which was part of the air defence 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.”

He said the explosion was thought to have occurred before impact because there were no craters. “The pieces that fell to several different points prove that the missile exploded in the air before it crashed,” he said.

Cyprus is west of Syria. Israeli warplanes fired missiles targeting Syrian military positions in Homs – about 193 miles from Nicosia – and the Damascus outskirts overnight in an attack that killed at least four civilians and wounded another 21.

The incident would be the first time Cyprus has been caught in the crosshairs of military operations in the Middle East.

A Greek Cypriot military analyst, Andreas Pentaras, said the debris suggested it was a Russian-made S-200 missile, which can have a range of up to 250 miles.

“An assessment from the pictures made public shows the base of its wings. It has Russian writing on it, so it suggests it is Russian made. Syria uses Russian-made missiles, so a not-so-safe assessment would be it was … an S-200 [missile],” the former army general told Sigma TV in Cyprus.

Jamming technology could have diverted the missile, he said. Another analyst said if the missile hypothesis proves to be correct, it could have been faulty.

“Right now, we can’t be absolute, but from the pictures and the inscriptions it appears to be an S-200,” said Zenonas Tziarras of the Geopolitical Cyprus thinktank.

Those missiles were designed to explode in midair if they do not hit a target, he said.

Residents told Cypriot media they saw a light in the sky then heard three loud explosions.Authorities evacuated some homes. </s> An object which caused an overnight explosion in the Turkish-recognized Northern Cyprus could be a "Russian-made" air defense missile that missed its target during an Israeli raid on Syria, local authorities claimed.The projectile that landed in Northern Cyprus on Sunday night could be "a Russian-made S-200 air defense missile," according to Kudret Ozersay's posts on Facebook and Twitter. The official suggested thatthat was reportedly found in the southeastern Turkish province of Gaziantep back in 2018, Ozersay added.However, he said that the"Although we are not certain, our first findings [indicate] that this was an S-200 missile," his post read.The explosion in question occurred on Sunday night in the neighborhood of Tashkent (otherwise known as Vouno), some 20km northeast of Nicosia.State media said the strike left at least three soldiers killed and seven others wounded in the Damascus and eastern Quneitra areas. </s> Northern Cyprus explosion: Blast from 'Russian-made missile used to fend off Israeli air attack on Syria'

Northern Cyprus explosion: Blast from 'Russian-made missile used to fend off Israeli air attack on Syria'

Part of a missile officials say could be a Russian-made S-200 that landed in Northern Cyprus

A suspected Russian-made missile has landed in Northern Cyprus after exploding in the air above a series of villages, according to officials.

It is thought the missile may be part of an air defence system fired from Syria in response to an air attack by Israel.

Turkish Cypriot foreign minister Kudret Ozersay said early analysis suggested it could be a Russian-made S-200 anti-aircraft missile after debris from the object came down on a mountainside north of the capital North Nicosia overnight.

He called on countries to take "necessary measures" to make sure neighbours do not get caught up in conflict.

Mr Ozersay told a news conference: "It is understood that a missile fired from Syria fell here by accident, as a result of being fired in an uncontrolled way by batteries... in response to the intense attacks yesterday evening by Israel.

"Based on our initial assessment, it is the remains of a missile which is known as S-200 in the Russian system."

He had earlier said on Facebook: "The explosion is thought to be before the impact, because there were no holes in the ground. The pieces that fell to several different points prove that the missile exploded in the air before it crashed."

If confirmed, it would be the first time the island of Cyprus has been caught up in the crossfire of the Syrian war.

Israeli airstrikes were taking place against targets in Syria around 120 miles (200km) away at the time of the blast.

Syrian state media said Israeli warplanes fired missiles from Lebanese airspace at military positions in the central province of Homs and suburbs of the capital, killing four civilians and wounding 21.

Syrian news agency SANA said Syrian air defence forces opened fire on the Israeli missiles and put out images which appeared to suggest some targets had been hit.

SANA said the dead included a baby and children were among the wounded but Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 15 people were killed in the airstrike, including six civilians and nine pro-government fighters.

Mr Ozersay said: "Undoubtedly we invite Syria, Israel and other countries in the region to take into account the human and material security of neighbouring countries, to take the necessary measures and for everyone to behave calmly."

There was no immediate comment from Israel.

Debris from the object that hit Northern Cyprus landed near the village of Tashkent, also known as Vouno, about 7 miles (12km) northeast of Nicosia, but there were reports that other fragments had landed in Esentepe and Gornec, nearly 18 miles (30km) from Nicosia.

Residents reported several loud bangs that could be heard for miles around and a blast that set the hillside on fire.

Images displayed on media websites showed several blazes over a wide area.

Some debris came down in the gardens of homes, according to Northern Cyprus newspaper Kibris.

The UK has military bases in the southern part of the island, at Akrotiri and Dhekelia - the latter about 35 miles (55km) from the main blast site and close to the resort of Ayia Napa.

Earlier, Ersin Tatar, the prime minister of the north of the divided island, said that no one was hurt in the explosion, which occurred about 1am local time.

Greek Cypriot analyst Andreas Pentaras also said images from the scene suggested it was a Russian-made S-200 missile.

S-200s are reported to have also fallen on Jordan and Israel after being fired at Israeli war planes during air strikes on Syria in the last few years.

Mr Ozersay said writing on pieces of the missile was similar to that found on an S-200 missile that came down in Gaziantep, Turkey in July 2018.

Janes Defence Weekly said in 2016 Russia had confirmed it had restored Syria's S-200 capability, with at least four batteries operational.

Northern Cyprus, which is only recognised by Turkey, is partitioned from the ethnically Greek and internationally recognised country of Cyprus. </s> Northern Cyprus explosion: 'Russian-made missile used to fend of Israeli air attack on Syria'

Northern Cyprus explosion: 'Russian-made missile used to fend of Israeli air attack on Syria'

Part of a missile officials say could be a Russian-made S-200 that landed in Northern Cyprus

A suspected Russian-made missile has landed in Northern Cyprus, exploding in the air above a series of villages, according to officials.

It is thought the missile may be part of an air defence system fired from Syria in response to an air attack by Israel.

Turkish Cypriot foreign minister Kudret Ozersay said early analysis suggested it could a Russian-made S-200 anti aircraft missile after debris from the object came down on a mountainside north of the capital North Nicosia overnight.

Mr Ozersay said in a Facebook post: "The first assessment is that a Russian-made missile, part of the air defence system, which was part of the air defence 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.

"The explosion is thought to be before the impact, because there were no holes in the ground. The pieces that fell to several different points prove that the missile exploded in the air before it crashed."

AP reported that Israeli airstrikes were taking place against targets in Syria around 120 miles (200km) away at the time of the blast.

Reuters said Syrian military positions in Homs and the Damascus outskirts came under attack overnight, with at least four civilians said to have been killed and another 21 wounded.

If confirmed, it would be the first time the island of Cyprus has been caught up in the crossfire of the Syrian war.

Debris from the object landed near the village of Tashkent, also known as Vouno, about 7 miles (12km) northeast of Nicosia, but there were reports that other fragments had landed in Esentepe and Gornec, nearly 18 miles (30km) from Nicosia.

It resulted in a bang that could be heard for miles around and set the hillside on fire.

Images displayed on media websites showed several blazes over a wide area.

Some debris came down in the gardens of homes, according to Northern Cyprus newspaper Kibris.

The UK has military bases in the southern part of the island, at Akrotiri and Dhekelia - the latter about 35 miles (55km) from the main blast site .

Earlier, Ersin Tatar, the prime minister of the north of the divided island, said that no one was hurt in the explosion, which occurred about 1am local time.

Greek Cypriot analyst Andreas Pentaras also said images from the scene suggested it was a Russian-made S-200 missile.

S-200s are reported to have also fallen on Jordan and Israel after being fired at Israeli war planes during air strikes on Syria in the last few years.

Janes Defence Weekly said in 2016 Russia had confirmed it had restored Syria's S-200 capability, with at least four batteries operational.

Northern Cyprus, which is only recognised by Turkey, is partitioned from the ethnically Greek and internationally recognised country of Cyprus.
A stray Syrian S-200 missile fired in response to the Israeli strikes crashes and explodes on a mountain near Vouno in Northern Cyprus, located 20 km (12 miles) northeast of Nicosia, causing no injuries but starting a fire.