No final conclusions yet in stray missile incident

The Republic of Cyprus remains in the dark over the missile incident in the north, while an effort is underway by officials to sound out “friendly countries” in order to connect the dots.

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According to Cyprus News Agency, officials in the Republic of Cyprus are evaluating information regarding the flying object that exploded in the north just after midnight on Monday morning.

It has been widely reported that a missile from the Syrian conflict had gone astray and reached Cyprus, breaking apart in the air before debris was scattered in different locations and starting a fire near Vouno/Taskent on the foothills of Kyrenia mountains.

A statement from the Foreign Ministry on Monday evening said all information was being evaluated, with additional reports saying the government would not rely only on the assessment by the Turkish Cypriot administration in the north.

“State authorities are in contact with authorities in nearby countries and other friendly nations, in order to collect further evidence and information,” the statement said.

“At this current stage, it is not possible to draw final conclusions regarding the incident,” the ministry added.

A team of Turkish experts has already visited the island and determined that there was “no public risk” in the aftermath of the incident. Scientific measurements were reportedly taken from a number of sites, with no traces of toxic fumes or chemicals found anywhere.

Reports also said that officials on both sides of the divided island are evaluating whether all parts found on crash sites belonged to the same flying object, believed to be a misfired Russian-made S200 surface-to-air missile.

On the same night of the incident, Israeli fighter jets had launched an attack against Syrian assets near Damascus and Homs. Syrian state media reported that the country’s air defence forces thwarted missile attacks targeting the outskirts of the capital city and the western town.

The United Nations has been in contact with both sides on the island, while Russian experts are also expected to assist in the investigation.