Russia steps up air campaign as it targets ‘rebel’ sites in western Syria

Russian jets carried out air strikes on areas in western Syria on Saturday and an Islamic State stronghold in the north was rocked by a large explosion, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said. Russian strikes hit northern areas of Latakia province, the coastal heartland of Assad’s Alawite minority sect, as well as northern areas of Hama province further east, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. There was no immediate information on casualties. The Observatory says Islamic State has no real real presence in these areas. However, there were other militants in northern Syria, such as Chechens, that Russia might want to take out.

Department leaders are reviewing the Russian response and talks are likely to take place as soon as this weekend.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook

Russia, a top ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, started bombing in Syria on Sept. saying it was targeting Islamic State militants, a campaign that has drawn Moscow deeper into Syria’s more than four-year conflict. The West, however, believes the Kremlin has been hitting anti-Assad rebels in the main. Nato has also been angered by Russian fighters encroaching on Turkish airspace. On Friday, Islamic State insurgents seized villages in the same province from rival insurgents, in battles close to the city of Aleppo. Human Rights Watch said late on Friday that the first Russian air strikes on northern Homs last month killed at least 17 civilians.

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