Russia dispatches another naval ship to Syrian coast

Russian warship "Mirage" passed through Istanbul's Bosphorus Strait, heading to the Mediterranean Sea to back up Russia's bombing of Syria, AFP journalists reported.

Russian marines were seen on the vessel loaded with cruise missile launchers as well as artillery.

Mirage took part in the 2008 war between Georgia and Russia over Moscow-backed South Ossetia region.

The Russian navy used cruise missiles to strike Syria for the first time last October, launching them from the Caspian Sea - as well as in December - when they were launched from a submarine in the Mediterranean.

Dozens of Russian warships have passed through the Bosphorus Strait - northbound and southbound - especially since Moscow stepped up operations inside Syria.

Turkey supports Syrian rebels in their war against Bashar al-Assad but has not closed its waters to Russian military ships.

In September, Russia dispatched an aircraft carrier to the east Mediterranean while its war planes have been pounding Aleppo leading to hundreds of deaths.