Russia launches airstrikes in Syria
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Russia launched air strikes against targets in Syria yesterday in the Kremlin鈥檚 biggest intervention in the Middle East in decades, telling the US air force to steer clear while its warplanes were in action.
A US official said Moscow gave Washington just an hour鈥檚 notice of the strikes, which the Kremlin said were designed to help President Bashar al-Assad push back Islamist militants.
Notice of the attack came from a Russian official in Baghdad who asked the US air force to avoid Syrian airspace during the mission, US State Department spokesman John Kirby said.
Russia and the United States offered conflicting accounts of which targets had been struck, underlining growing tensions between the two former Cold War foes over Moscow鈥檚 decision to intervene.
US officials said targets in the Homs area appeared to have been struck, but not areas held by Islamic State.
The Russian Defence Ministry said however that its attacks were directed at Islamic State military targets. It said it had hit IS weapons depots, ammunition, communications infrastructure, and fuel.
According to a pro-Syrian government military source, there were 鈥渇ive strikes against five areas in Syria鈥檚 Homs.
The Homs area is crucial to Assad鈥檚 control of western Syria. Insurgent control of that area would bisect the Assad-held west, separating Damascus from the coastal cities of Latakia and Tartous, where Russia operates a naval facility.
Russia joined the United States and its Arab allies, Turkey, France, Iran and Israel in direct intervention.
Russian jets went into action after the upper house of the Russian parliament gave Putin unanimous backing for strikes following a request for military assistance from Assad.
In a barely concealed jibe at Washington, a spokesman for Putin later said the vote meant Moscow would be practically the only country in Syria to be conducting operations 鈥渙n a legitimate basis鈥 and at the request of 鈥渢he legitimate president of Syria.鈥
Speaking after the strikes, Putin said the only way to fight terrorists in Syria was to act preemptively. Russia鈥檚 military involvement in the Middle East would only involve its air force and be temporary, he said.
One of the reasons for getting involved was the need to stop Russian citizens who had joined the ranks of Islamic State from later returning home to cause trouble, said Putin.
He said he still thought the ultimate solution to Syria鈥檚 problems was political.
鈥淎 definitive and long-term solution in Syria is only possible on the basis of political reform and on the basis of dialogue between moderate forces in the country,鈥 he said.
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