John Kerry Warns Russian Federation Over Military Operations in Syria

“Russian Aerospace Forces engaged another four #ISIS facilities in #Syria this night”, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Twitter along with gun camera video showing large explosions.

With Russia’s statement that their airstrikes are targeting ISIL and other terrorist groups, questions arose regarding who the country considers as the other terrorist groups in the area.

“The Russian occupation will be met with a liberation movement from the Syrian people“.

The U.S. State Department said a Russian diplomat in Baghdad notified the United States of the intended air strikes an hour in advance and warned that American aircraft that have been pressing a daily bombing campaign against Islamic State positions should avoid Syrian airspace. Moscow immediately denied such criticism.

Kerry said Washington would have “grave concerns” if Russian Federation hit Syrian targets where Islamic State fighters were not present.

“It is one thing obviously to be targeting ISIL”.

Khushfa said the Russian strikes had killed 17 civilians in Talbiseh and 11 in Zafaraniya, despite rebel military posts and headquarters being located outside the two villages. “The result of this kind of action will inevitably simply be to inflame the civil war in Syria”.

Russian Federation has justified its strikes by saying Syria requested its military assistance.

Putin and other officials have said Russian Federation was providing weapons and training to Assad’s army to help it combat the Islamic State.

In speeches at this year’s United Nations gathering of world leaders, major powers are increasing calls for multilateral negotiations to end the war in Syria.

No vote has been scheduled on the draft resolution and it remained doubtful that the United States would back the measure. “My guess is the Europeans would want to be included in such a contact group“.

Kerry told the Security Council that the U.S.-led coalition would keep flying, saying it had done so on Wednesday.

“It’s important to understand that this operation is to support the Syrian army in the fight with ISIS and other extremist groups”, he said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed claims that the airstrikes targeted positions of the Syrian opposition.

It is not the first time Saudi Arabia turned down Russian Federation. Foreign Minister Javad Zarif of Iran, Syria’s closest ally, noted that the U.S.-led coalition was “failing to achieve its goals”.

“Right now, we are focused on working with key allies and partners on how we can de-conflict and find a way forward on a political transition”, a State Department official, speaking not for attribution, told Al-Monitor on October 1. “But it’s clear that an earliest possible peace settlement in Syria and assistance to the Syrian government is needed to create the conditions conducive to the return of refugees”.

“I call on all concerned governments – including Russian Federation, including Syria – to support a United Nations initiative to broker a political transition”, Kerry said.

Iran-Saudi rivalries further complicate matters, even if that issue is resolved.

“I don’t think it quickly solves the problems on Syria, [but there could be] utility in the countries that have interests [in Syria] laying [them] out in a frank way behind closed doors … and to identify a few short-term steps that could be taken that everyone agrees upon, [such as] humanitarian access”, Ford said.