Syria Missile Scare: Ballistic Missiles Detected, Fell Into Sea, Russia Claims; US Denies Test-Firing Missiles From Its Ships, Planes

A missile scare erupted in the Mediterranean after conflicting reports emerged about a strike on Syria as the Russian defense ministry said that two ballistic missiles were fired from the center of the eastern Mediterranean, while the Russian embassy in Damascus, Syria, said there was no sign of a missile attack or explosion in the country.

However, the state-run Russian news agency RIA, citing a source in Damascus, reported later that the ballistic missiles detected by Russia had fallen into the sea.

Although some media reports described the ballistic missiles as a possible test-fire by American forces, U.S. officials refuted the claims and said that no missiles were launched from its planes or ships, CBS News reported.

Russian media citing Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stated that two ballistic missiles were detected on radars Tuesday morning.

“Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has informed President Vladimir Putin that two ballistic missiles have been launched in the Mediterranean Sea with a trajectory set for Syria,” as reported by The Moscow News. The Russian radar system at its Armavir radio-technical hub detected the launch at 10:16 a.m. Moscow time (2.16 a.m. EDT) on Tuesday morning, the report added.

An Israeli spokesperson also responded, saying Israel was not aware of any missile launch from the Mediterranean.