Cruise missiles fired by Russian warships in the Caspian Sea that were intended for targets in Syria instead struck areas in Iran, U.S. officials at the Pentagon reported Thursday.
#Breaking: A number of cruise missiles launched from a Russian ship and aimed at targets in Syria have crashed in Iran, officials say— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) October 8, 2015
Officials speaking on conditions of anonymity didn't have many details to offer, according to reports by The Associated Press and the New York Times. There have been no reports of any damage or casualties, but one official told the AP that four missiles went off course.
The Iranian news outlet Fars News dismissed the report as “psychological warfare" by U.S. officials against the Russians.
Hardline Fars news calls report that #Russian missiles intended for Syria landed in #Iran "America's psychological warfare against Russia".— Golnaz Esfandiari (@GEsfandiari) October 8, 2015
And in a post on Facebook, the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation disputed CNN's claim and said that the missiles all hit their intended targets.
Missiles hit #Syria, did not crash in #Iran says #Russia defense ministry http://t.co/KufPgMkNht— Randa HABIB (@RandaHabib) October 8, 2015
The cruise missile attack was part of an expanding Russian military campaign in Syria that has deepened the divide between Moscow and Washington over how to approach the Syrian civil war and the presence there of Islamic State fighters.
Russian airstrikes began several weeks ago with Russian officials claiming they were firing on ISIS targets, but activists in a town outside the northwestern city of Homs said more than a dozen people were killed in an airstrike there, and several children were among the dead.
The missiles also have added a new layer of uncertainty to efforts by the Pentagon to ensure the safety of U.S. and coalition pilots who are flying daily in Syrian airspace. Russia is also flying attack and reconnaissance missions over Syria.