Blasts heard in Damascus

Explosions and gun fire were heard near the British ambassador’s residence in Damascus tonight, according to reports from Arab television stations.

Explosions and shooting are reported to have been heard in the vicinity of the British embassy, close to the Iranian and the Canadian embassies.

But a British Foreign Office spokeswoman said the residence in the Mesa Road area of Damascus was not thought to have been targeted and no British embassy staff were injured.

The spokeswoman said: “We understand it was not aimed at the British ambassador’s residence.

“There are no injuries to UK embassy staff. We are assessing the situation at the moment.”

Al-Arabiya and al-Jazeera satellite stations reported a series of explosions and gunfire.

It is thought the blasts took place in the west of the city after 4pm local time, followed by heavy gunfire.

Al-Jazeera said several explosions and gun fire were heard in west Damascus’ al-Mazza district, where the Saudi Embassy and the British ambassador’s residence are located.