Russia Admits Defying West By Supplying Cruise Missiles To Syria As U.N. Chief Says Country Is In Full-Scale Civil War!!! :o

The Daily Mail UK

Russia admits defying West by supplying cruise missiles to Syria as U.N. chief says country is in full-scale civil war

written by Will Stewart and Associated Press

Friday December 2, 2011

• Death toll in Syrian conflict stands at 4,000

Russia last night admitted it had defied the West and supplied Syrian president Bashar al-Assad with a batch of cruise missiles.

Despite warnings today that the country was in civil war and ongoing concerns over terror tactics used against civilians, Moscow will also go-ahead with training the dictator's troops to use the state-of-the-art weapons.

'Supersonic anti-ship Yakhont cruise missiles have been delivered to Syria,' said an informed Russian source.

A total of 72 missiles were ordered by Damascus, but Moscow did not make clear how many had been delivered in the recent past.

'These arms will make it possible to defend Syria's entire coastline against a potential attack from sea,' said another source.

Israel fears the cruise missiles could fall into the hands of Hezbollah militants in neighbouring Lebanon.

The US also sought to halt arms sales to the Syrian ruler after his bloody crackdowns on street protests.

Moscow insists that a deal on the missiles and radar equipment, signed in 2007, is legal under international law.

With instability growing in the region, Moscow may have calculated that by arming the dictator, it reduces the chances of Western intervention in the country.