since Thursday which has destroyed civilian infrastructure such as emergency response clinics and left almost 500 people dead , activists on the ground say . Syrian president Bashar al - Assad and Russian leader Vladimir Putin have ignored pleas from the West and besieged residents to cease the campaign , which civilians report has included napalm , cluster bombs , and incendiary devices . Several countries , and Nato , have said the attacks amount to war crimes .
“ He is showing the Russians can walk and chew gum as well as play chess , while the current U.S. administration foreign and military policy is a shambles , ” Mr. Deptula said . “ The gradualistic , weak and uncertain policies of the Obama national security team in the Middle East have yielded a dramatic advantage to the Russians . ” The Russian Defense Ministry on Thursday issued an update on its bombingconflict.attack.nacampaign . It said Tu-22M3s and Su-34 fighters from Iran hit targets only in Deir ex - Zor and targeted only the Islamic State . “ As a result , the strikes have eliminated five large depots with armament , munitions and fuel , six control centers , a large number of militants , artillery positions and armored hardware of terrorists , ” the ministry said .
READ MORE : Terrorists in Aleppo ‘ forcefully ’ enroll teens – Russian MOD That battle now is now concentrated in Aleppo where jihadists are centered . Denying US - led criticisms that Russia and Syrian air forces are rather bombingconflict.attack.nathe positions of the so - called moderate rebels , Assad emphasized that anyone who holds a weapon is a terrorist . “ Now , most of the world used the word ' opposition ' about people who carry guns and kill people . You do n't call them opposition ; ' opposition ' is a political term ; it can not be a military term , ” he said .
Royal Navy vessels are monitoring Russian warships as they pass through the Channel , potentially bringing supplies to the bombingconflict.attack.nacampaign against the Syrian city of Aleppo . Michael Fallon , the defence secretary , promised this week that the Russian fleet would be marked “ every inch of the way ” . No 10 confirmed that the vessels , including Russia ’s only aircraft carrier , the Admiral Kuznetsov , were being shadowed by the navy as they headed towards the eastern Mediterranean via the Dover Strait .
Moscow believes severing routes between Syria and Turkey cuts off supplies it accuses Ankara of providing to terrorist groups , which are not confined to ISIS and the Nusra Front according to the Russian definition . Moscow believes helping the regime restore control of Aleppo would boost its morale and allow it to continue fighting the Russian war against Islamic groups it classes as terrorist groups . Aleppo is therefore key to the strategy pursued by Russia , which will not stop bombingconflict.attack.nait for the sake of the Vienna process created by Russia or for fear of European or American reactions . The contrast is clear between the European reaction and the US reaction . Europe fears Russian policies and their implications , including further refugee influx to its shores .
Damascus has reacted harshly to the bombingconflict.attack.naof Kurdish militias in northern Syria on Thursday morning by Turkey ’s air force , vowing to intervene next time Ankara sends its planes over its border . Read more In a statement , the Syrian Defense Ministry accused Turkey of “ flagrant aggression , which targeted innocent citizens , ” saying that it considers it “ a dangerous development that could escalate the situation . ”