![](http://www.debka.com/dynmedia/photos/2011/12/16/big/L-300P_Bastion_carrying_Yakhont15.12.11.jpg)
Expanded Russian military and diplomatic support for the Assad regime
was underscored by the deployment Friday, Dec. 16, of advanced
Moscow-supplied Yakhont (SSN-26) shore-to-sea missiles along Syria's
Mediterranean shore to fend off a potential Western-Turkish invasion by
sea. Last week, Russia airlifted to Syria 3 million face masks against
chemical and biological weapons and the Admiral Kutznetsov carrier and
strike group was sent on its way to Syria's Mediterranean port of
Tartus.
Russian naval sources in Moscow stressed that the flotilla is armed
with the most advanced weapons against submarines and aerial attack.
Upon arrival, the Russian craft will launch a major marine-air maneuver
in which Syrian units will take part.
Syria has received from Russia 72 Yakhont missiles able to hit marine
targets up to a distance of 300 kilometers - i.e., over the horizon, our
military sources report. The missile's radar remains inert, making it
hard to detect, until it is close to target. It is then switched on to
guide its aim.
Its high speed – 2,000 kmh – enables the Yakhont to strike before its target has time to activate self-defense systems.
Thursday night, in response to the deployment of 21 Syrian Scuds on the
Turkish border, including five with chemical warheads, Ankara convened
its top military council and declared its armed forces ready for war.
Syria also rushed armored reinforcements to the Jordanian border.