Russia will continue supplying missiles to Syria

MOSCOW: Russia announced Saturday that it intended to fulfil its contract supplying Syria with supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles despite furious condemnation of the deal by Israel.

"The contract is in the implementation stage," news agencies quoted Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov as saying.

Russia initially signed a contract to supply the high-tech Yakhont cruise missile to Syria in 2007 but no deliveries have yet been made.

The deal infuriated both Israel and the United States and there has been speculation that Russia may decide to tear up the contract amid the current turmoil plaguing north Africa and the Middle East.