European Union may consider sanctions on Russian Federation depending on its actions in Syria

The Russians insist they are targeting Islamic State (IS) extremists – also referred to as Isil or Isis – but Western sources say they have largely hit mainstream opposition forces. “Nato will defend you, Nato is on the ground, Nato is ready”, he said.

Syrian TV showed footage of Syrian soldiers loading and firing artillery, as helicopters flew over rural Hama and Idlib.

Syria’s conflict, which began as an uprising against Assad in March 2011 but descended into a full-blown civil war after a fierce government crackdown, has so far killed 250,000 people, according to United Nations figures.

The group said it documented the dropping of at least two vacuum, or thermobaric, bombs, “which are entirely indiscriminate in nature and impossible to evade, even when taking shelter”.

As many as four landed instead in Iran, according to three USA officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. The group alleged the attacks constituted a “grave violation of global humanitarian law and, as a result, a war crime”.

German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said Russia must recognize that if it targets opposition groups in Syria that are fighting Islamic State, “Russia will strengthen IS and this can be neither in the Russian interest, nor in our interest”. “If needed, Turkey can buy natural gas from many different places”, Erdogan told journalists en route to Japan, Prime wrote.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that Moscow’s military action in Syria is endangering trade ties with his country.

“Losing Turkey would be a serious loss for Russian Federation”, Erdogan said, in comments published Thursday in the Hurriyet newspaper.

The Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP), in which Turkey has a 30 percent stake, is expected to bring Turkey 6 bcm of Azeri gas but only after mid-2018 when the pipeline becomes operational.

Russian aircraft twice entered Turkish air space at the weekend as Moscow carried out air strikes in Syria. Russian Federation called its penetration of Turkish airspace a minor incident that was unintentional.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has said that Turkey might reconsider the issue of buying Russian gas following the worsening of relations with Russia provoked by incursions into Turkish airspace, according to Russian economic information agency Prime.

Russia’s support for Assad “will have consequences for Russia itself”, he said, adding: “I also expect that in coming days the Russians will begin to suffer casualties in Syria”.

Pressed later at the news conference about what North Atlantic Treaty Organisation meant to do to assist Turkey, which shares a border with Syria, Stoltenberg indicated that the mere existence of the beefed-up response force, as well as a newly created and highly nimble brigade-sized unit able to deploy within 48 hours, may suffice.