Syria and Russian Federation carry out co-ordinated assault on Syrian rebels

– The Russian parliament’s upper house gives President Vladimir Putin formal permission to begin air strikes in Syria.

Islamic State has seized control of large parts of eastern Syria and northern Iraq and is one of many groups fighting Assad.

“The streets are nearly completely empty and there is an unannounced curfew”, said the resident, speaking from the town of Rastan which was hit in the first day of Russian air strikes. Idlib region is controlled by a coalition of rebel groups that includes the al-Qaida-linked Jabbat al-Nusra.

Mr Putin’s forces carried out 20 air strikes on Friday, hitting nine Isis targets including a command post and weapons bunker, Russia’s defence ministry said.

Russian Federation acknowledged 18 airstrikes against 12 targets on Friday, but it has denied reports of civilian casualties. Foua and Kfarya are in Idlib province where Russian warplanes have carried out several airstrikes over the past two days. The ministry was not immediately available to comment on the apparent discrepancy with the earlier figures. A Syrian military source told Reuters they focussed on ISIL strongholds.

“We think that is self-defeating, it will get them into a quagmire, it will be used as a further recruitment tool for foreign fighters”, Obama said, adding that U.S. will work with the worldwide community and its coalition to relieve the humanitarian pressure on refugees.

The Syrian civil war has brought together a disparate collection of rebel groups united in their effort to oust Assad.

President Obama advocated for Assad to give up power in Syria, and allow an “inclusive” political transition to take place. Either a clear policy from the United States to prevent Russia and the regime from bombing Syrians, or otherwise they should send us antiaircraft missiles so that we can confront the Russian planes.

Despite Russia’s actions, Fallon insisted the British government would make the case to extend the RAF’s strikes, saying it would be “morally wrong” not to target ISIS in Syria.

The four-year-old Syrian conflict has killed an estimated 250,000 people. He also says Assad must be ready for compromise with the opposition.

He also added that Putin “had to go into Syria out of weakness”, suggesting that Assad had been so damaged that it was now “insufficient for [Putin] to simply send arms and money”.