Damascus clashes damaged Russia's embassy building

One of the Russian embassy’s buildings in Damascus had been damaged in clashes between government and opposition forces, Russia’s Ambassador to Syria, Alexander Kinshchak said.

“We have a building that we haven’t been using temporarily, not far from the epicenter of yesterday’s clashes. I was told a shock wave knocked out the windows there,” RIA Novosti cited Kinshchak as saying.

On Sunday, Syrian rebels launched a major offensive that brought them close to the heart of the Old City of Damascus, and government forces responded with intense bombardments of rebel-held areas.