US defense secretary confirms Russian missiles crashed in Iran

The Kremlin has said it is operating in Syria to combat terrorists, which may mean not only Islamic State militants but also U.S.-back, anti-Assad rebels on the ground.

In a further show of force, the Russian defence ministry said missiles fired from its ships in the Caspian Sea hit weapons’ factories, arms dumps, command centres and training camps supporting IS forces.

“They [Russians] have shot cruise missiles from a ship in the Caspian Sea without warning; they have come within just a few miles of one of our unmanned aerial vehicles”, he said.

The White House declined to comment on the report from the officials, who asked not to be identified, and the State Department said it could not confirm it.

The missile launches were in support of a major ground offensive by the Syrian army on several fronts in the war-torn country’s west.

He added: “Today, the Syrian Arab armed forces began a wide ranging attack with the aim of eliminating the terrorists groups and liberating the areas and towns that suffered from their scourge and crimes”.

Ayoub did not say which areas were being targeted. Previously, at least 40 civilians were killed on the first day of the Russian airstrikes last week. He said rebels had managed to destroy a number of Syrian tanks in a counter attack on Wednesday.

The Russian President Vladimir Putin obtained formal authorization to deploy forces in Syria, purportedly to battle ISIS, Russian fighter jets instead reportedly bombed rebels trying to unseat Assad.

Russia’s use of cruise missiles has also fueled anxious about mishaps in the skies over Syria and the need for Moscow to agree to certain flight safety procedures proposed by the U.S.

Moscow carried out new air raids Thursday on Assad’s coastal heartland of Latakia as well as the central province of Hama and near the northwestern city of Idlib, according to a monitoring group.

He said there was a “degree of co-existence” between the Assad regime and IS as part of the Syrian dictator’s strategy to “squeeze out” the moderate opposition.

He said the refusal to cooperate proved that Washington and its allies have their own goals in Syria, which had nothing to do with providing conditions for a national reconciliation there.

“NATO is ready and able to defend all allies, including Turkey, against any threats”, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters before the meeting of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation defence chiefs in Brussels.

“While Russian Federation is projecting military might and success for the time being – in concert with a rapid deployment – the situation is likely to get a lot messier for all of the factions”, Zilberman said.