Footage has been released of a barrage of cruise missiles being unleashed by Russia against Islamic State targets in Syria.

Some 18 rockets were fired from warships in the Caspian Sea at seven "terrorist positions" in Raqqa, Idlib and Aleppo, according to the country's defence minister Sergei Shoigu.

The bombardment came as Moscow maintained its intensive military strikes against the militants after confirming a bomb brought down a Russian passenger plane in Egypt last month, killing all 224 people on board.

Raids have also been carried out by long-distance bombers.

Russian ground crew wrote the words "For Paris" on bombs to be dropped on IS targets in a show of solidarity with France in the wake of last week's terror attacks that left 130 people dead.

A video also showed a serviceman writing "For Our Guys" on a bomb at Russia's Hmeymim airbase.

"Pilots and technicians of Hmeymim airbase have sent their message to terrorists by priority airmail," said a caption accompanying the post.

Mr Shoigu said the continuing military operation had destroyed a number of oil facilities and tankers controlled by the terror group, hitting its income.

He said bombers had struck 15 oil facilities in Syria and 525 trucks this week, costing IS $1.5m (£987,000) a day in sales.

Mr Shoigu also claimed the raids had inflicted significant casualties, including killing more than 600 militants in just one strike in the province of Deir el Zour.

In the last four days, Russian warplanes flew 522 missions and destroyed more than 800 targets, said Mr Shoigu.

During that period, long-range bombers and navy ships had launched 101 cruise missiles, including the 18 fired from the Caspian.

President Vladimir Putin praised the operation in Syria but said it was "still not sufficient" to wipe out the extremists in the country and that a "large volume of work" lay ahead.