Russian Federation strikes kill at least 30 Islamist militants in Syria: Ministry

While, Russia has denied reports that it hit the northern Syrian city, it did say missiles and jets were launched from its aircraft carrier the Admiral Kuznetsov, against ISIL and former Al Nusra Front targets in Idlib province.

Residents have always been prevented from leaving Raqqa without IS permission, but in recent months it has become impossible, said Abu Mohamed, another activist with RBSS who spoke from outside the city. Syria’s civil war pits President Bashar al-Assad against mainly Sunni rebels seeking to oust him.

A spokesman for the US -led coalition fighting the Islamic State group says Syrian Kurdish forces are leaving the town of Manbij after training local fighters to defend it.

The resumption of government air strikes on besieged east Aleppo began just as Russian Federation also announced a wide-scale operation against opposition target in Syria’s north and central Homs province.

“We carried out exhaustive advance research on all targets”, said Shoigu.

Th Russian defence ministry said that it had bombed extremist groups on Thursday using cruise missiles launched by strategic bombers deployed from Russian territory.

The strikes targeted “terrorist command centres, warehouses with ammunition and weapons”, as well as a weapon-making workshop, the ministry said.

“Our strikes in Syria are proportionate, surgical and precise”, he said.

The siege and intense bombardment of east Aleppo have created a dire humanitarian crisis, aggravated by frequent air strikes on hospitals and the disruption and pollution of water supplies.

SkyNews Arabia TV cited activists as saying 90 civilians had been killed by Russian and Syrian shelling of rebel-held areas in eastern Aleppo over a 24-hour period, Xinhua news agency reported.

“There is not a military solution that we can impose on the awful civil war inside of Syria”, he said, condemning Moscow as being “determined to prop up the Assad regime” and willing to “engage in some disgusting tactics to try to make that a reality”.

In Washington, the State Department blasted Moscow for the new attacks.

Rescuers and civilians inspect a destroyed building in the Syrian village of Kfar Jales, on the outskirts of Idlib, following air strikes by Syrian and Russian warplanes yesterday.

Helicopters dropping improvised barrel bombs were also reported.

It was the first government bombardment of Aleppo since October 18.

Ibrahim al-Haj of the Civil Defense said one paramedic had been killed. Sounds of warplanes flying at low altitude could be heard over the phone as he spoke.

“There is real preparation (for an offensive) now”, Wissam Zarqa, an English teacher, said by telephone.

In a sign of the rising desperation, a local Aleppo official said riots broke out outside a warehouse storing grain and other food on Tuesday and Wednesday, leading to clashes that left one person dead. The rebels refused to take up the offer and the United Nations failed to negotiate the delivery of aid into the besieged area. The U.N. warned last week that food rations inside Aleppo’s rebel-held districts could be depleted by the end of this week.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry are due to meet in the coming days in Lima, Peru, where Syria will be on the agenda, Ushakov said.