Iran–Russia relations

Russia on Oct.1 rejected accusations that Moscow had bombed moderate rebel factions fighting President Bashar al-Assad instead of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters and had hit civilians.

Russian warplanes have launched their first strikes on Syrian opposition targets, Fox News and Reuters reported on Wednesday.

The airstrikes, carried out by a "couple" of Russian bombers, were launched at targets near the city of Homs, located about 100 km east of a Russian naval base in Tartus, according to a senior US military official, Fox News said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said his country does not plan to send ground troops to Syria, and will continue to support the Syrian government.

In an interview for U.S. broadcasters CBS and PBS, he "strongly criticized America's military support given to Syrian rebels as illegal and counter-productive," U.S. media are reporting.

Russia and the United States launched military talks on the Syrian conflict on Friday as Moscow stepped up its buildup of forces in the war-torn country.
 
The phone conversation between Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter ended an 18-month freeze in military relations triggered by NATO anger over Moscow's role in the Ukraine crisis.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that Moscow will continue its supplies of military equipment to the Syrian government in the fight against terrorist groups.

Lavrov said this in a news conference on Friday, TASS news agency informs.

Following a growing number of media reports that Russia had escalated its military presence in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov finally admitted Thursday that the country was sending military cargo to Syria in accordance to past contacts signed between Moscow and Damascus.