But exactly how they’re doing that remains a point of contention: Are Russians really focused on pummeling ISIS, or are they targeting Syrian rebels demanding an end to the Assad dynasty?
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The Syrian army made advances from the towns of Mourek and Atshan in Hama province using tanks, heavy artillery and new surface-to-surface missiles, he said.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 30 airstrikes were reported in Kfar Nabudeh while government troops and Lebanon’s Hezbollah fighters entered the village from the south. Another activist-operated media platform, the Shaam News Network, said the fighting was inside the village as insurgents ambushed government forces in the village reported to be laden with underground tunnels.
Russian Federation said its planes had flown 64 sorties, striking 63 targets and destroying 53 fortified positions in the previous 24 hours.
Putin said he planned to discuss the Syrian crisis on Sunday with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Sochi, where the two men attended a Formula One race.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, appearing alongside Russia’s Sergei Lavrov, said Riyadh had concerns about Russia’s policy.
US officials say Russian Federation has directed parts of its air campaign against U.S.-funded groups and other moderate opposition groups in a concerted effort to weaken them.
In northern Latakia meanwhile, regime forces took the village of Kafr Dalba as they pressed a bid to capture a strategic mountainous area in the region, the Observatory and sources on the ground said.
Moscow said its officials had held a second video conference with counterparts from the United States to ensure safety as the former Cold War foes both fly combat missions in the same air space for the first time since World War Two.
“But in the conversation, our Russian friends explained to us that the main aim is the fight with ISIS and terrorism”, he added.
“When a division of global terrorists stands near the capital, then there is probably little desire for the Syrian government to negotiate, most likely feeling itself under siege in its own capital”, he said in an interview with Russian state television broadcast today. Other rebels fighting against Assad are equipped and trained by Washington’s Arab allies and range from secular nationalists to Islamist militants affiliated with al Qaeda.
Earlier, the Russian President stated that Moscow warned Western partners of its operation in Syria in advance.
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On the Ground, Syrian government troops backed by Russian air strikes advanced against rebels yesterday, as a rights group accused Moscow of being behind a new type of cluster bomb in the conflict. The Observatory said there was fighting on Sunday between Islamic State and other rebels in that area, although no change in positions since Saturday. But a year later, at a cost of $50 million for the training part of the program, it managed to put only “four or five” Syrian rebels onto the battlefield.
