The battle for Syria
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Russia's President Vladimir Putin arrives to attend a summit to discuss the conflict in Ukraine at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, October 2, 2015. France hosts a meeting with leaders of Russia, Germany and Ukraine in Paris for talks about Ukraine which were likely to be overshadowed by the conflict in Syria. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau
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U.S. seen unlikely to defend Syrian rebels from Russian strikes
Already out-gunned and out-manned in Syria's civil war, U.S.-backed rebels are facing a new and possibly even more serious threat to their survival: Russian air strikes that Washington appears reluctant to thwart.
The Obama administration - blindsided by the speed of Moscow's direct intervention and a Russian target list that included CIA-trained fighters - made clear on Thursday that the it had no desire to increase the risk of an air clash between the former Cold War foes.
While Washington took pains to insist it still considered the "moderate" opposition vital to Syria's future and was not abandoning them, withholding U.S. air cover could further jeopardize beleaguered rebel forces.
President Barack Obama has rarely launched military action in support of the opposition in four years of Syria's civil war and is hesitant to get further ensnared in the conflict. Even if he wanted to, he could face legal limitations due to the scope of his presidential war powers.
The rebels have already struggled in the fight against the Syrian military, dogged by internal divisions and the rise of radical jihadist groups such as Islamic State and the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front.
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Top Iraqi cleric calls for wider war against Islamic State
Iraq's most influential Shi'ite cleric called for the expansion of the global war against Islamic State on Friday, a day after the prime minister said he would welcome Russian airstrikes against the group on Iraqi soil.
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who has a huge following and can often influence government thinking, was speaking through an aide after nationally-televised Friday prayers. -
Russian air strikes in Syria to last three-four months - Putin ally
Russia estimates its air strike campaign in Syria could last three to four months, the head of the lower house of the Russian parliament's foreign affairs committee said on Friday.
"There is always a risk of being bogged down but in Moscow, we are talking about an operation of three to four months," Alexei Pushkov, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, told French radio station Europe 1. He added that the strikes were going to intensify.
Pushkov was speaking a few hours before Putin was due to meet leaders of France, Germany and Ukraine in Paris for talks about Ukraine which were likely to be overshadowed by the conflict in Syria.
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Iran troops to join Syria war, Russia bombs group trained by CIA
Turkey, coalition partners, call on Russia to cease Syria air strikes -
Russia carries out new round of air strikes in Syria, hitting 12 targets
Russia said on Friday it had carried out new rounds of air strikes in Syria, hitting 12 Islamic State targets.
Sukhoi-34, Sukhoi-24M and Sukhoi-25 warplanes had flown 18 sorties, hitting a command post and a communications center in the province of Aleppo as well as a militant field camp in Idlib, a Defence Ministry statement said.
A command post in the province of Hama was also completely destroyed, it said. -
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Hundreds of Iranian troops have arrived in Syria to join a major ground offensive in support of President Bashar al-Assad's government, Lebanese sources said on Thursday, a sign the civil war is turning still more regional and global in scope.Russian warplanes, in a second day of strikes, bombed a camp run by rebels trained by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, the group's commander said, putting Moscow and Washington on opposing sides in a Middle East conflict for the first time since the Cold War.Senior U.S. and Russian officials spoke for just over an hour by secure video conference on Thursday, focusing on ways to keep air crews safe, the Pentagon said, as the two militaries carry out parallel campaigns with competing objectives."We made crystal clear that, at a minimum, the priority here should be the safe operation of the air crews over Syria," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said.
A combination of frame grabs taken from footage released by Russia's Defence Ministry September 30, 2015, shows precise airstrikes (L-R before, during and after) carried out by the country's air force on Wednesday, against Islamic State (IS) ground positions in a mountainous area in Syria. REUTERS/Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
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Russian planes destroy Islamic States headquarter, camp in Syria - reports
The Russian Defence Ministry said on Friday that Sukhoi-34 airplanes have destroyed an Islamic State command center and a rebels training camp in Syria, Russian news agency reported.
A spokesman for the ministry added that the strikes have completely destroyed infrastructure in a Syrian region, which used to prepare "terrorists". -
Civil defense members put out the flames on a burning military vehicle at a base controlled by rebel fighters from the Ahrar al-Sham Movement, that was targeted by what activists said were Russian airstrikes at Hass ancient cemeteries in the southern countryside of Idlib, Syria October 1, 2015. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi
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Civil defense members put out the flames on a burning military vehicle at a base controlled by rebel fighters from the Ahrar al-Sham Movement, that was targeted by what activists said were Russian airstrikes at Hass ancient cemeteries in the southern countryside of Idlib, Syria October 1, 2015. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi
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Russian air strikes in Syria to last three-four months - Duma committee head
Russia estimates its air strike campaign in Syria could last three to four months, the head of the foreign affairs committee at the State Duma, Russia's parliament, said on Friday.
"There is always a risk of being bogged down but in Moscow, we are talking about an operation of three to four months," Alexei Pushkov told French radio Europe 1, adding that the strikes were going to intensify.
Pushkov was speaking a few hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin was due to meet leaders of France, Germany and Ukraine in Paris for talks. -
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Warplanes, believed Russian, bomb IS-held towns in Syria
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Warplanes believed to be Russian bombed an Islamic State-held town 130 km (80 miles) northeast of Damascus overnight, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Friday.
Islamic State captured the town of Qaryatain from government control in August. Ramj Abdulrahman, director of the Observatory, told Reuters the warplanes were believed to be Russian.
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While Washington took pains to insist it still considered the "moderate" opposition vital to Syria’s future and was not abandoning them, withholding U.S. air cover could further jeopardize beleaguered rebel forces.President Barack Obama has rarely launched military action in support of the opposition in four years of Syria's civil war and is hesitant to get further ensnared in the conflict. Even if he wanted to, he could face legal limitations due to the scope of his presidential war powers.
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Traders said a political risk premium had re-entered oil markets over Syria, where Russia and the United States are carrying on bombing campaigns.The situation was complicated by the arrival of hundreds of Iranian troops in Syria to join a major ground offensive in support of government troops, a sign the civil war is turning still more regional and global in scope.
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U.S. Republican presidential candidate John Kasich on Friday morning will advocate for certain areas of Syria to be designated as sanctuaries from violence for civilians and made no-fly zones given Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent decision to target Islamic State there with air strikes.
Republican U.S. presidential candidate and Ohio Governor John Kasich makes a point during the second official Republican presidential candidates debate of the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, United States, September 16, 2015. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson -
Welcome to our LIVE coverage of the developing situation in Syria. Find our latest reporting, photos and video here.
A frame grab taken from video released by the Russian Defence Ministry October 1, 2015, shows Russian jets hitting a target in Syria, which the Kremlin says includes a list of well-known militant organizations and not only Islamic State. REUTERS/Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation/HandoutHundreds of Iranian troops have arrived in Syria to join a major ground offensive in support of President Bashar al-Assad's government, Lebanese sources said on Thursday, a further sign of the rapid internationalization of a civil war in which every major country in the region has a stake.
Russian warplanes, in a second day of strikes, bombed a camp run by rebels trained by the CIA, the group's commander said, putting Moscow and Washington on opposing sides in a Middle East conflict for the first time since the Cold War.
The U.S. and Russian militaries were due to hold talks via video link to seek ways to keep their militaries apart as they wage parallel campaigns of air strikes in Syria, a U.S. defense official said.
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White House: Iran troops in Syria would be sign of worsening conflict
WASHINGTON, Oct 1 (Reuters) - The White House said on Thursday it could not confirm reports that Iranian troops have launched a ground offensive in Syria, but said any such development would be an "apt and powerful illustration" that Russia's military actions have worsened the conflict.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters that Russian involvement in the Syrian conflict has not caused a "broad re-evaluation" of U.S. strategy in Syria.
(Reporting by Roberta Rampton and Susan Heavey; Editing by Doina Chiacu) -
Russian strikes in Syria must target Islamic state-France's Hollande
PARIS, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Russian air strikes in Syria must target Islamic state forces and no other groups there, French president Francois Hollande said on Thursday.
Russia launched air strikes in Syria on Wednesday for the first time since the country's civil war began in 2011. Free Syrian Army and U.S. sources said the strikes actually hit facilities of a U.S.-backed group.
"What just happened confirms one again that a political transition needs to be found without Bashar Al-Assad," Hollande told reporters on the sidelines of an event organised in Paris in response to Russia's operations.
"All the strikes, wherever they come from, must target Daesh", he added.
France said on September 27 it had launched air strikes against Islamic State militants in Syria in an effort to stem its growing presence there.
(Reporting by Jean-Baptiste Vey; editing by Ralph Boulton; Writing by Matthias Blamont) -
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Kremlin says its aim is to help Syrian army in its 'weak spots'
MOSCOW, Oct 1 (Reuters) - The aim of Russian air strikes in Syria is to help the forces of President Bashar al-Assad fight extremist groups such as Islamic State in areas where the Syrian government is struggling, the Kremlin said on Thursday.
"The aim is really to help the armed forces of Syria in their weak spots," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, when asked whether that was Russia's objective. (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Andrew Osborn) -
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UPDATE: Iraq would welcome Russian strikes against Islamic State - AbadiIraq's government would welcome Russian air strikes against Islamic State and was receiving information from both Syria and Russia on the militant group, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Thursday.
The United States has led air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq for more than a year, but Baghdad has repeatedly bemoaned the lack of engagement and air support for Iraqi forces trying to regain territory against the group.
On Wednesday, Russian warplanes began air strikes in neighboring Syria, saying it would hit Islamic State "and other terrorist groups."
Abadi, asked by France 24 television whether he had discussed air strikes with Russia in his country, said: ""Not yet" and "it is a possibility. If we get the offer we will consider it and I would welcome it."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a news conference that Moscow was not planning to expand its air strikes to Iraq.
"We were not invited or asked," Lavrov said. "We are a polite people as you know. We don't come if we're not invited."
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