Russia launches first Syria strikes from submarine: Minister

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that the military had launched strikes in Syria for the first time from a submarine stationed in the Mediterranean. 

"We used Calibre cruise missiles from the Rostov-on-Don submarine from the Mediterranean Sea," Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin during an encounter broadcast on state television. 

Shoigu added that Russian strikes launched on Tuesday had been aimed at "two terrorist strongholds" around Raqqa, the de facto Syrian capital of the Islamic State (IS) group.

Russia warned in advance that its military would launch strikes on Syria from the submarine, the United States said.

Speaking in Washington, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said: "We were given advanced notice that they would be carrying out strikes."

He added: "We appreciate that," particularly because the Kremlin was not required to do so under a memorandum of understanding signed by Russia and the US to avoid the two sides clashing over Syria.

The advanced notice on the cruise missiles was "an additional measure of safety," said Cook.

"As a result of the successful launches by the aviation and submarine fleet, all targets were destroyed," the Russian defence minister said, adding that oil infrastructure, ammunition depots and a mine-making factory had been hit in the strikes. "The Calibre cruise missile once again showed its effectiveness over long distances."

“We can say with absolute confidence that significant damage has been inflicted upon ammunition warehouses and a mine production plant, as well as the oil infrastructure,” Shoigu elaborated.

According to Russia Today, Russia’s warships based in the Caspian and Mediterranean seas launched similar missiles targeting Islamic State (IS) positions in late November. However, this is the first time that Russia has targeted IS in Syria from a submarine.

An unnamed source told Interfax news agency earlier on Tuesday that a Russian submarine was approaching Syria's Mediterranean coast to launch cruise missiles toward the war-torn country.  

President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that the Calibre cruise missiles launched from the submarine could be equipped with nuclear warheads but said he hoped they would "never be needed in the fight against terrorism". 

Shoigu said Moscow had also warned Israel that the Russian military would be conducting the submarine strikes. 

Shoigu added that Russian military jets had conducted 600 combat sorties and destroyed "300 targets of different kinds" in the past three days.