Russia says it’s fired 4 cruise missiles, targeted ISIS in Syria

MOSCOW — Russian warships in the Mediterranean Sea have fired four cruise missiles at the Islamic State group’s positions in Syria, the Russian defense ministry said Wednesday.

The announcement came as Syrian government troops pushed ahead in their offensive against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, in central and northern Syria.

Moscow said in a statement that the Admiral Essen frigate and the Krasnodar submarine launched the missiles at ISIS targets in the area of the ancient town of Palmyra.

There was no information on when the missiles were launched.

Syrian troops have been on the offensive for weeks in northern, central and southern part of the country against ISIS and U.S.backed rebels under the cover of Russian airstrikes, gaining an area almost half the size of neighboring Lebanon.

Most recently, Syrian troops and their allies have been marching toward the ISIS stronghold of Sukhna, 37 miles northeast of Palmyra.

The strategic juncture in the Syrian desert aids government plans to go after ISIS in Deir el-Zour, one of the militants’ last major strongholds in Syria.

Russia, a Damascus ally, has been providing air cover to Syrian President Bashar Assad’s offensive on ISIS and other insurgents since 2015. Moscow had fired cruise missiles from warships in the past.

As the fighting against ISIS is underway near Palmyra, Syrian troops reportedly clashed with U.S.backed rebels in the country’s south.

The fighting came days after the United States told Syrian government forces and their allies to move away from an area near the Jordanian border where the coalition is training allied rebels.