Russia has reportedly prepared its naval forces to respond to a possible missile strike in Syria by the United States.
A Russian military source confirmed that their naval vessels in the Mediterranean were capable of influencing any kind of military situation arising due to escalation in the Syrian conflict, News24 reports.
According to the report, the anti-submarine ship Admiral Panteleyev has already entered its zone of operation as the flagship of the current rotation of the naval grouping in the Mediterranean.
Meanwhile, the missile cruiser Moskva, from the Black Sea fleet, is also on its way to the eastern Mediterranean to assume the role of the Russian flagship.
The U.S. already has a strong naval presence in the region and the possible U.S. military strike against Syria is widely expected to be launched from the sea.
Moscow has warned that the U.S.-led plans for military action against the regime of Bashar al-Assad for using chemical weapon against civilians on the suburbs of Damascus will destabilise the entire region.