DAMASCUS: Three rockets hit the Mazzeh area of the Syrian capital Damascus on Saturday, local authorities said, adding that one damaged a mosque and another landed near a military airport.
Syria’s official SANA news agency had earlier reported that an unidentified missile had struck the area without causing any casualties.
“Random rockets fell in the Mazzeh area... One struck the dome of the Al-Muhammadi Mosque, another hit a telecommunications building, and the third landed near Mazzeh Military Airport,” local authorities said in a statement.
State television quoted a security source as saying the “three rockets struck simultaneously” and that one of them caused “material damage” to the mosque.
“Investigations are underway to find the perpetrators,” the source added.
Syrian media outlets and residents reported hearing an explosion in the Mazzeh area.
An AFP correspondent saw security forces deployed outside the mosque, adding that a part of its dome had been destroyed.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said the mosque is located in an area that “is inhabited by high-ranking officials under the new authorities.”
Islamist-led forces overthrew longtime Syrian ruler Bashar Assad in December 2024, and the new authorities are now trying to stabilize the country after more than 13 years of civil war.
On Monday, another explosion was heard in the vicinity of Mazzeh, which official media said was the result of “military exercises,” without providing further details.
The Mazzeh area has recently witnessed a series of explosions from falling projectiles, and authorities have not identified those responsible.
On December 9, SANA quoted a military source as saying that the surroundings of Mazzeh Military Airport were targeted by “three unidentified projectiles, without causing any casualties or material damage.”
On November 14, a woman was injured in a rocket attack that struck a house in the Mazzeh area.
SANA quoted a military source as saying the attack was carried out “using rockets launched from a mobile platform,” adding that those responsible remain unidentified.
