Iraq closes airspace as missiles fly near airport

Paris launched air strikes against the Islamist group’s Syrian stronghold in Raqqa this week following attacks that killed 130 people in Paris on November 13.

The Turkish government is vehemently opposed to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, while Russian Federation says its air campaign is justified because Mr Assad requested it.

Russian Federation began launching cruise missiles and long-range bombers from warships in the Caspian last month, passing over Iran and Iraq and covering a distance of 1,500km to reach their targets.

The Russian military has said it is preparing to detonate a bomb in Syria inscribed with “That’s for Paris” as it launched a major offensive on the country’s oil facilities and tankers controlled by the Islamic State. While doubts remain about whether the USA would work with Russia, there have been some tentative signs of a shift in Washington, with President Obama praising Russian leader Vladimir Putin as a “constructive partner” in diplomatic efforts to end the Syrian war.

ISIS controls nearly all of Syria’s oil fields, concentrated in the east of the country, producing some 30,000 barrels a day, along with one field in Iraq.

It added that the missiles, fired by its fleet in the Caspian Sea, “dealt a massive blow”, with “all targets hit”.

On Wednesday Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said if the West wanted an global coalition against Islamic State, it must drop its demands for Assad’s ouster.

In a Friday meeting with officials of the Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow, Putin said a recent increase in aerial attacks on militants in Syria by Russia air and naval forces is “not sufficient”, and the Moscow’s anti-terror campaign should be intensified.

The ministry also said that Russian forces in Syria has started cooperation with the French armed forces.

U.S. and French planes have also struck at oil targets in Deir el-Zour and elsewhere.

“Over the past 48 days, the Russian air grouping has performed 2,289 sorties and delivered 4,111 missile and bomb strikes against major infrastructure facilities and the concentrations of the militants’ armor and personnel”, he said.