France claims Russian jets have struck rebel

Carter’s comments come after news Russian Federation launched airstrikes in Syria on Wednesday.

Moscow has been pushing for a broader coalition to fight the Islamic State group to include allies of the Assad regime, an idea that the West has rejected. It said “munitions and weapons depots and military equipment” were also destroyed in Wednesday’s raids.

Addressing the lower house of Parliament, Interior Minister Milan Chovanec said Thursday: “I am looking with a deep distrust at the Russian military engagement in the area”, adding that airstrikes alone “solve nothing”.

Russia launched its first airstrike against Islamic State targets in Syria, raising questions about the goals of Russian President Vladimir Putin as the US and Russia hold urgent talks over the move.

According to reports from the official Syrian Arab News Agency, Russian support against Daesh comes “at the request of the Syrian state”. That may be one of their targets, but it’s also about supporting the government of Bashar al-Assad and Russian warplanes clearly prepared to strike at rebel groups who pose the biggest threat to President Assad. (Russia wants their ally President Bashar al-Assad to be part of a political solution, the U.S. sees him as a war criminal demands that he step down).

Osama Abu Zaid, a spokesperson for the Free Syrian Army, said his rebel fighters were listening to conversation between regime leaders using wireless devices when they saw white airplanes, unlike those belonging to the Syrian air force, flying in their area.

Russia’s defence ministry claims its jets have carried out about 20 flights over Syria hitting eight ISIL targets in Moscow’s most dramatic Middle East intervention in decades.

“The United States supports any genuine effort to fight ISIL and al Qaeda-affiliated groups”, Kerry said during a United Nations Security Council meeting.

“This is not the kind of behavior that we should expect professionally from the Russian military,” he said.

A USA defence official confirmed that talks between the US and Russian militaries could take place within the next day, possibly via secure video-conference or in person.