Rockets Hit Syria’s Damascus

Three rockets struck Mazzeh district in Damascus, Syria’s Capital on Saturday, damaging a mosque, local authorities said.

Syria’s state news agency SANA had earlier reported that an unidentified missile hit the area without causing casualties.

In a later statement, local authorities said “random rockets fell in the Mazzeh area,” adding that one projectile struck the dome of the Al-Muhammadi Mosque, another hit a telecommunications building, while the third landed near Mazzeh Military Airport.

State television quoted a security source as saying the “three rockets struck simultaneously,” noting that one caused “material damage” to the mosque. 

The source added that investigations were underway to identify those responsible.

Residents and Syrian media outlets also reported hearing an explosion in the area. 

An AFP correspondent saw security forces deployed around the mosque, with part of its dome destroyed.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the mosque is located in a neighbourhood inhabited by “high-ranking officials under the new authorities.”

Islamist-led forces overthrew longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, and the new authorities have since been trying to stabilise the country after more than 13 years of civil war.

Mazzeh has recently witnessed a series of explosions caused by falling projectiles, with authorities yet to identify the perpetrators.

Earlier this week, an explosion in the area was attributed by official media to “military exercises.”