Footage has been released of Russia unleashing a storm of cruise missiles against Islamic State targets, as the Russian military intensifies its bombardment of Syria.

Russian president Vladimir Putin

Russian president Vladimir Putin

Russia fired its first cruise missiles in the conflict on 17 November, and has increased the number of its aircraft involved in the air raids to 69.

The Russian military says it fired 18 cruise missiles on Friday, destroying seven "Islamist" targets in Raqqa, Idlib and Aleppo provinces.

Video footage and a photo posted to the UK Russian Embassy's Twitter show soldiers inscribing missiles destined for Syria with messages such as "For Paris" and "For Ours". The caption accompanying the video reads, "Pilots and technicians of Hmeymim airbase have sent by priority airmail their message to terrorists."

This bombardment comes in the wake of terrorist attacks that killed 129 people on Friday 13 in Paris, and Moscow's confirmation that the Metrojet airliner which crashed in the Sinai, killing 224 passengers, was brought down by a bomb.

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