Russian warships head for Syria, but reports say no relation to conflict

07/11/12: Haaretz reports Russia dispatched a destroyer-class warship to Syria on Tuesday, and military sources said four more Russian ships were en route to the violence-torn country.  Moscow has been the major ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as he battles an armed uprising, but the source quoted by Interfax news agency said the ships’ mission had nothing to do with the conflict.  Interfax quoted the military source as saying the ships were carrying marines on a training mission as well as food, water and fuel for Russia’s naval maintenance and repair base in Syria’s Mediterranean port of Tartous.  It is Moscow’s only naval base outside of the former Soviet Union and its navy regularly sends supplies there.