North Atlantic Treaty Organisation tells Russian Federation to stop air strikes on Syrian rebels

Uncredited/AP A bomb explosion is seen in Syria as Russia’s launch of airstrikes against Syrian rebels has drawn ire from the U.S.-led coalition that is fighting ISIS.

Delivering his nation’s speech at the annual General Assembly, Mr Moallem thanked the Russians for coming to the aid of the Syrian military with air strikes and asserted they were part of its effort to combat terrorism.

The Syrian opposition, and other rebel factions have suffered to the attacks.

“I reminded President Putin that the strikes should be aimed at Daesh and only Daesh”, French President Francois Hollande said after talks with his Russian counterpart in Paris, using the Arabic acronym for the IS group.

The Russians also reportedly hit Qaratayn, south of Homs, according to Mayadeen TV, a Lebanese channel close to the Damascus government.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on October 1 that Russia has no plans to extend air strikes to Iraq, but would do so if Iraq invited it.

Obama said during a White House news conference that he told Putin during discussions in New York that the only way to solve the problem in Syria is to have a political transition that not only keeps the state and military intact, but also is inclusive.

A United States official said Moscow gave Washington only an hour’s notice before the strikes, via a Russian official who walked into the U.S. embassy in Baghdad and asked the US Air Force to avoid Syrian air space during the mission.

A joint statement by France, Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Britain and the United States expressed concern over Russia’s military actions saying they will “only fuel more extremism and radicalization”.

“This is the same position which the Americans are taking”. Russian air force have attacked the IS stronghold of Raqqa on Thursday.

Hundreds of Iranian troops have arrived in Syria to join a major ground offensive in support of President Assad’s government, Lebanese sources said yesterday, a sign the civil war is turning still more regional and global in scope.

Bristling at critics who have portrayed him as being outmaneuvered by Putin, Obama said the Russian leader “had to go into Syria not out of strength, but out of weakness”. “I don’t think people are fooled by the current strategy”.

Differences between the two have punctuated the last several days of the crisis, in which Russian jets have pounded Syrian opposition forces, but Obama stressed that “we’re not going to make Syria into a proxy war between the United States and Russia”. Putin, on the other hand, says Assad – Russia’s long-term ally – should stay.