Moscow:
Unidentified assailants fired two land-to-air missiles at a Russian passenger plane carrying around 200 people when it flew over Syria earlier on Monday, the Interfax news agency reported, citing an informed source in Moscow.
"The Syrian side informed us that on Monday morning unidentified people had fired two land-to-air missiles which exploded in the immediate proximity of a civilian plane belonging to a Russian airline," the source was quoted as saying.
"The crew has been able to move the aircraft to the side on time and save the lives of the passengers," the source said, adding that it was unclear whether the attackers knew that the plane was Russian.
The plane was returning from a resort in Egypt, a popular destination for Russian tourists.
The state RIA Novosti news agency, citing an employee of the Russian embassy in Damascus, said Russian diplomats were looking into the report of the attack.
Russia, one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's staunchest allies, is firmly opposed to military intervention in Syria.