Although Moscow admitted it struck non-ISIL targets, calling them “other” terrorist groups, it continues to assert that there have been no Syrian civilian casualties during any of its operations.
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A Facebook post Thursday by the Russian Defense Ministry noted, “No matter how unpleasant and unexpected it is for our colleagues in the Pentagon and Langley [CIA headquarters], our strike yesterday with precision-guided weapons at [IS] infrastructure in Syria hit its targets”.
Russia’s defence ministry declined to comment and the US State Department said it could not confirm the reports.
Four Russian cruise missiles fired at Syria from the Caspian Sea landed in Iran, unnamed USA officials have said.
Putin has claimed the strikes are meant to combat ISIS, but USA officials have said Russian Federation is simply trying to damage moderate rebels fighting Assad, who Obama has called on to step down.
An Iranian Revolutionary Guards general has been killed near Aleppo while advising the Syrian army on their battle against Islamic State fighters, the guards said in a statement on Friday.
The Russian defence ministry said all missiles fired at targets in Syria on Thursday had reached their targets.
Iran has been an adamant supporter of Syrian President Assad’s embattled regime, with elite forces even having a presence in the country and neighboring Iraq, leading offences against the Islamic State group.
Islamic State militants seized a string of villages from rival insurgents north of Aleppo city today, in a surprise attack that came despite intensive Russian airstrikes that Moscow insists are targeting the extremist group, activists said.
Rebel advances in western Syria earlier this year had threatened the coastal region vital to president Bashar al-Assad’s control of the area and prompted Russia’s intervention on his side last week.
Government-backed troops had moved into the key Ghab plain area, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.
Russia’s sudden decision to join the war with air strikes on behalf of Mr Assad, as well as the increased military involvement of Iran, could mark a pivotal turning point in a conflict that has drawn in most of the world’s military powers.
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Iran has agreed to share intelligence with Russian Federation, along with Syria and-to the vast annoyance of US leaders-Iraq.
