Russia has fired a new supersonic cruise missile into Syria for the first time, it has emerged.
The P-800 Onyx missiles were launched at a warehouse which the Russian defence chiefs say was storing arms used by rebels in the war-torn country.
At least two of the weapons – which can travel at 1,980mph at sea level – were fired from coastal defence launchers.
The missiles can carry nuclear or conventional warheads and can travel at distances up to 185 miles.
One of the Bastion-P launchers used to fire the missiles – which were designed to be used against ships – is thought to be based 19 miles inland from the Mediterranean.
Russian military affairs specialist Konstantin Sivkov told a state news agency: “This was the first time the Bastion complex, equipped with Onyx missiles, has been used against targets on the ground.
“I assume that it was fired not so much in order to destroy some impotent enemy position but to check, under combat conditions, the possibility of using this weapon for land attack.”