A Russian Kilo-class submarine located in the Mediterranean Sea fired on Tuesday 3M-54 Kalibr cruise missiles targeting Islamic State (Daesh in Arabic) positions in Syria, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday.

Shoigu added that the launch was carried out by the sub from a submerged position.

"We launched Kalibr cruise missiles from the Rostov-on-Don submarine in the Mediterranean Sea," Shoigu told President Putin.

Russian TV channel RT tweeted a picture of the submarine:

Shoigu added that the launch was carried out by the sub from a submerged position.

Two important command centers around Raqqa, the so-called "Islamic State's" (IS) main stronghold, were destroyed, the Russian defense ministry reported. Putin said that the Caliber missiles were capable of carrying nuclear missiles, but he hoped they would "never be needed in the fight against terrorism."

Earlier in the day, Russian media outlets reported about a Russian submarine approaching the Syrian coast.

Russia has been conducting airstrikes against Daesh, outlawed in Russia, in Syria since September 30 upon the request of President Bashar Assad. Russian warships in the Caspian Sea also participated in the anti-terrorist campaign, having successfully fired cruise missiles on IS targets.

Russia’s warships based in the Caspian and Mediterranean seas launched similar missiles targeting Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) positions in late November. This is the first time that Russia has targeted IS in Syria from a submarine.