Smoke rising after what activists said were cluster bombs dropped by the Russian air force in Maaret al-Naaman town in Idlib province yesterday.

Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu says that just two out of 57 Russian strikes examined by Turkish intelligence have hit IS

AFP
Beirut


Russia dramatically escalated its air war in Syria yesterday, unleashing heavy bombardments and cruise missile strikes from the Caspian Sea as cover for a major Syrian army ground offensive against rebels.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow had begun synchronising its strikes with the army’s ground movements as the Kremlin voiced willingness to make contact with Western-backed rebels that Washington and its allies accuse it of targeting.
Putin, who turned 63 yesterday, said Russian warships had fired cruise missiles on Islamic State (IS) group positions in Syria for the first time.
A video map released by Russia’s defence ministry showed the missiles launched from warships in the southern Caspian Sea and flying close to 1,500km  through Iranian and Iraqi airspace before hitting targets in Syria.
A Syrian military source told AFP government troops had begun a broad ground operation yesterday near the village of Latmeen in Hama province, aided by Russian air cover.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported at least 40 Russian air strikes in Hama and neighbouring Idlib province, which is controlled by the powerful Army of Conquest alliance that includes Al Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front.
The alliance has sought to expand into Hama from Idlib and seize high ground to target the neighbouring regime stronghold of Latakia province.
The Britain-based Observatory said “many raids, believed to be from Russian warplanes, killed six people” including two children in Maraat al-Numan in Idlib.
A military source in Hama told AFP that “the Syrian army in its latest operations is working on cutting off the southern parts of Idlib province from the northern parts of Hama province”.
He added that the operations were also intended to begin securing the major highway between Aleppo and Damascus.
Putin said Russian strikes would “be synchronised with the actions of the Syrian army on the ground” to support the regime’s offensive operations.
AFP has concluded after a careful reading of Russia’s video map that at least one cruise missile struck near the IS-held city of Al-Bab in Aleppo province, while several others appeared to head towards targets in Idlib.
Russia says its forces have hit 112 targets since its operations in Syria - which it claims target IS and other “terrorist groups”- began on September 30.
But Syrian rebels and their backers say a range of opposition fighters, not just extremists, have been hit.
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.
Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu alleged that just two out of 57 Russian strikes examined by Turkish intelligence had hit IS.
The Russian campaign has raised hackles in Ankara, which accuses Moscow of violating its airspace from Syria on at least two occasions over the weekend.
It also reported a violation by a MIG-29 jet of unknown nationality on Monday.
Turkey has protested against the violations, backed by the Nato alliance to which it belongs, and warned Russia against losing its friendship with Ankara, which has been severely tested over Syria. Page 12
 

90% of Russian strikes not targeting IS, says US
A large majority of Russia’s military strikes in Syria have not been aimed at the Islamic State group or militants tied to Al Qaeda, and have instead targeted the moderate Syrian opposition, the US State Department said in Washington yesterday.  “Greater than 90% of the strikes that we’ve seen them take to date have not been against ISIL or Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorists,” said State Department spokesman John Kirby. “They’ve been largely against opposition groups that want a better future for Syria and don’t want to see the Assad regime stay in power.”  
It was the first time that American authorities have offered any specific figures about the impact of Russian air strikes in the war-torn country.
Washington, which supports the moderate Syrian opposition, has consistently said that the Russian action will only add more fuel to the fire and will benefit the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.  “So whether they’re hit by a cruise missile from sea or a bomb from a Russian military aircraft, the result is the same, that Assad continues to get support from Russia,” added Kirby.