Iran would consider sending fighters to Syria: senior official

USA insists that it does not cooperate with Russian Federation on air-strikes but cooperates only on basic safety precautions. It also highlights the far-reaching goals of Russia’s military involvement in Syria.

Senior officials of the Obama administration had said earlier the initial US strategy to recruit, train and arm moderate Syrian rebels failed partly because most of the Syrian rebels were more focused on fighting the Syrian government.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, non-Islamist groups in central Syria have been receiving increased amounts of TOWs in the past four days.

The Russian intervention is supported by an intelligence-sharing center in Baghdad that coordinates the efforts of Russia, Iraq, Iran and Syria.

Calling Washington’s position “non-constructive”, Putin said he did not understand how Washington could criticize Moscow’s actions in Syria in the fight against terrorism, since it has refused a direct dialogue in important areas, such as a political solution to the crisis.

The loss of Jisr al-Shughour, followed by the fall of the entire province, was a resounding defeat for Assad, opening the way for rebels to threaten his Alawite heartland in the coastal province of Latakia.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, another U.S. official said the drop included 50 tonnes of ammunition. A military source in Syria told AFP the Homs operation was “linked strategically” to regime operations in neighbouring Hama province in recent days. Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported two senior officers from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards – Major General Farshad Hasounizadeh and Brigadier Hamid Mokhtarband – were killed fighting Islamic State militants in Syria on Monday, though it did not say where.

“Now they are taking cover behind Russian Federation since it is a super power and strengthens their position”, Alezzah said.

Among them, it said, were several IS targets.

In the statement, over 41 rebel groups, including the powerful Ahrar al-Sham Movement, deemed the Russian military intervention in Syria as an “occupation”, and urged regional countries to form a coalition in order to face the Russian-led group which also includes Iran, Iraq and Syria.

When the US refused, Russian Federation quickly made it public and Putin slammed the USA for lacking an agenda in Syria.

Gains by Islamic State north of Aleppo will threaten the supply lines of rival rebels inside the city, which is divided between insurgents and government forces.

“You need to make sure that you can continue to answer all bells, as we say in the Navy, and that means having an assurance of safe and professional conduct in this case by the Russian side”, said John Kirby, a U.S. State Department spokesman.

The official who spoke to AP all but confirmed that the Islamic State is not the priority for the Syrian troops and their allies, saying most areas held by the group in eastern Syria are desert regions considered to be on the periphery.

Instead, the Obama administration would from now on support existing rebel groups.

Then, the Pentagon admitted on September 25 that the U.S.-trained Syrian rebels gave about a quarter of US weapons to an al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria.

The US-Russian “moral consensus” of 2002 is now a distant memory.

The close encounter comes as Russian aircraft continue to shadow US drones monitoring the border with Turkey amid a massive expansion of Russian air and ground operations inside Syria.