The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not possess any information on Armenians who could be injured in the ongoing Syrian unrest. As MFA spokesman Tigran Balayan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter, the Armenian embassy in Syria operates normally.

For her part, member of the Armenian community of Syria Nora Arisyan said that the situation in Damascus has not changed much and remains calm for the community. “There are no clashes in Latakia districts where Armenians live,” she said.

According to media reports, gunfire and shelling rang out across Syria's coastal city of Latakia early Tuesday, August 16, amid reports of Palestinian refugees fleeing a restive and impoverished enclave there. The humanitarian situation deteriorated amid the government's offensive in the city. Shops and bakeries were closed, and at least two mosques were damaged.