President Vladimir Putin is not focused on the possibility of Russian citizens joining the ranks of the Syrian army to support President Bashar al-Assad’s beleaguered regime, Peskov said. “That we fired from the territory of the Caspian Sea, at a range greater than 1,500 kilometers, and hit targets precisely, this shows high qualifications”, Mr. Putin said, referring to naval crew members.
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The Russian ground activity came on the same day that country’s navy launched 23 cruise missiles into Syria from ships located 900 miles away in the land-locked Caspian Sea.
Carter said he was pushing for basic, technical discussions with Russia on how to coordinate between Russian jets flying in Syria and U.S. jets hitting ISIS targets. “We believe the actual ground attack has started accompanied by precise strikes from Russian planes since the early hours in the morning”.
“Despite what the Russians say, we have not agreed to cooperate with Russia so long as they continue to pursue a mistaken strategy and hit these targets”, Carter added.
The Defence Secretary also stood firm with Turkey against Russian incursions into its airspace.
The US-backed Suqur al-Jabal rebel group in the northern province of Aleppo said yesterday its arms depots had been destroyed in Russian raids.
Russian forces have struck 112 targets in war-torn Syria since last week launching a bombing campaign that Moscow says is targeting the IS group, Shoigu told Putin in the televised briefing.
Russia’s move could be meant to appease the USA, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and others who have criticised its Syria deployment, “but it won’t change the rules of the game”, said Sami Nader, head of the Beirut-based Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs.
Addressing the movement of the equipment to Hama, Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis told reporters, “What we’re seeing appears to be them doing things that are additive to and enabling of regime operations that are not being conducted against ISIL”.
Mr Fallon suggested the British Government was hopeful about “building a consensus” in Parliament to push for the extension of RAF air strikes against Islamic State from Iraq into Syria.
He also claimed Russian bombing was making Syria a more risky place and accused Moscow of “conniving with and propping up” the Assad regime.
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“Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said Wednesday that Moscow was prepared to take information and intelligence obtained by the U.S-led coalition against ISIS, and called on all sides to share targeting reconnaissance”.
