“The Russian president once again confirmed readiness to continue cooperation with Syrian partners in countering the terrorist threat and expressed confidence that criminals that tarnished their hands with blood of innocent victims will not escape retribution”, the Kremlin added.
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Bomb blasts which killed almost 150 people and injured another 200 in the Syrian coastal towns of Jableh and Tartous have been condemned by both the U.S. and Russian Federation.
The bombings sparked a reprisal attack on a camp for those internally displaced by war located in Tartus.
According to the news agency, the blasts in Tartus were the result of auto bombs and teams of suicide bombers, who had blown themselves up at targeted locations.
The unprecedented attacks on strongholds of President Bashar al-Assad came as IS faces mounting pressure in Syria and neighbouring Iraq, where a major offensive to retake the militant-held city of Fallujah is underway.
In Jableh, one of the four blasts hit near a hospital, state media and the Observatory reported.
“It’s the first time we hear explosions in Tartus, and the first time we see dead people or body parts here”, said Shady Osman.
State-run news agency Sana said the attacks constituted a “serious escalation”, and were aimed at derailing peace efforts.
Russian Federation said the blasts underscored the need to press on with Geneva peace talks.
The responsibility for the bomb blasts had been immediately claimed by the Islamic State group. More than 33 were killed and many injured in the bombings.
A news agency linked to Isil claimed the jihadist group was responsible for the attacks.
WHO official Tarek Jasarevic said the organization was basing its information on local authorities.
Both areas – where Russian Federation has maintained a military airport and naval facility – have remained relatively secure, even as the war has raged in Latakia province’s rural northeast and other parts of the country. Meanwhile, several bombs exploded in the northern town of Jableh, targeting a bus station, a hospital and an electricity office.
Via its Amaq news agency, ISIS has claimed that the attack was against the Alawaite gatherings in the area where a majority of the population is Alawite.
The attacks are the deadliest in decades in the coastal region, which is firmly under government control and hosts hundreds of thousands of people fleeing conflict in Syria’s inland provinces. A second bomber on foot detonated his explosive vest among a group of recruits waiting outside the home of an army commander, killing at least 25.
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She spoke on condition of anonymity, citing security concerns. Assad’s government has been fighting both the spread of IS, alongside various other Islamic rebel groups seeking to take it out of power.
