Stray missile from Syria-Israel clash explodes after crashing north of the Cyprus capital Nicosia
- Kudret Ozersay, the Turkish Cypriot foreign minister, told a news conference that the missile had been fired from Syria and fell on the island ‘by accident’
- The freak incident was the first time that Cyprus has been caught in the cross hairs of military operations in the Middle East despite its proximity
The explosion occurred at around 1am in the region of Tashkent, also known as Vouno, some 20km northeast of Nicosia, with the impact setting hills ablaze and heard for miles around.
There were no casualties. But it caused widespread concern on both sides of the ethnically-split island and brought calls for warring parties to respect their neighbours’ safety.
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.
“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,” Kudret Ozersay, the Turkish Cypriot foreign minister, told a news conference.
“Based on our initial assessment, it is the remains of a missile which is known as S-200 in the Russian system and SA-5 in the Nato system,” he added.