(Telegraph-UK) Tom Parfitt and Adrian Blomfield - Russia dispatched a flotilla of warships to its naval base in the Syrian port of Tartus on Tuesday in an apparent show of support for President Bashar al-Assad. Two destroyers and three amphibious landing vessels carrying marines set sail from Russian bases in the Arctic and the Black Sea, according to Russian military sources. Western diplomats say the purpose of the mission is to show tangible support for Assad, to warn the West against military intervention in Syria, and to prepare for the possible evacuation of Russian nationals from the country.
2012-07-11 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive