Four Syria-bound Russian missiles crashed in Iran

FILE – In this Tuesday, October 6, 2015 file photo, Russian President Vladimir Putin listens during a meeting at the presidential residence in the Russian Black Sea Resort of Sochi, Russia.

For all Russia’s military might – its force, one of the largest in the world, has been modernizing in recent years – its higher-tech equipment such as cruise missiles has long lagged behind Western standards. But he restated a US refusal to coordinate its own air campaign against Isis with Russian forces because of Moscow’s emphasis on supporting the Syrian president.

Its air strikes have been concentrated on Idlib and Aleppo – where a coalition of groups are fighting alongside al-Qaeda affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra – as well as other rebels, including the Free Syrian Army and brigades supported by the U.S. and its allies in the provinces of Homs and Hama. “And that’s not a good future for Syria. They’re putting themselves at greater risk”.

The incursions of two Russian fighters in Turkish air space on Saturday and Sunday has brought the Syria conflict over NATO’s borders, testing the alliance’s ability to deter a newly assertive Russia without seeking direct confrontation.

Securing the coastal province has emerged as a major objective of the Russian air offensive that began on September 30 in support of government forces.

Wednesday’s launch marked the first use of Russian cruise missiles in combat. “That certainly would not be consistent with our interests”. It was unclear if it was Syrian or Russian.

But Washington has accused Russian Federation of targeting groups other than IS or Al-Nusra in more than 90 per cent of its raids.

United States defence secretary Ashton Carter deplored the fact that Russian warships fired the cruise missiles “without warning”.

The USA told their pilots “to change their flight path if there is a Russian plane within 20 nautical miles”. One source told them, “They saw a few of this going on but didn’t appreciate the magnitude”.

Capt Davis said the incident had happened after a secure video conference last week between U.S. and Russian military officials focussing on ways to keep air crew safe while both conduct military campaigns in Syria. The Observatory said at least 13 government fighters were killed in those clashes.

In other news, Turkey is getting pretty freaked out by Russia’s presence in the region. Russia’s proposal, however, was rejected, said Ryabkov.

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced it is ready to defend Turkey from Russian aggression.

The meeting also covered plans to create a joint intelligence-sharing centre between Iraq, Syria, Iran and Russian Federation in Baghdad, which began operating later the same month.

The Russian Defense Ministry also said its aircraft destroyed firing positions in rural Hama, where fighting has raged, and struck militants’ underground facilities in rural Latakia with concrete-piercing bombs.

Moscow is backing President Bashar Assad while Turkey insists on his ouster.

Meanwhile, while the worldwide playing field in Syria keeps getting more crowded, refugees from the country continue to escape to Europe. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s office is taking direct control of managing the crisis inside the country.

Reaction from the Iranian government might be fairly muted. “We have faced more violent attacks than this in the past”.

This post has been updated throughout.