BEIRUT: Russia dramatically escalated its air war in Syria on Wednesday, unleashing heavy bombardments and cruise missile strikes from the Caspian Sea as cover for a major Syrian army ground offensive against rebels.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow had begun synchronising its strikes with the army’s ground movements as the Kremlin voiced willingness to make contact with Western-backed rebels that Washington and its allies accuse it of targeting.

Putin, who turned 63 Wednesday, said Russian warships had fired cruise missiles on Islamic State group positions in Syria for the first time.

A video map released by Russia’s defence ministry showed the missiles launched from warships in the southern Caspian Sea and flying close to 1,500 kilometres through Iranian and Iraqi airspace before hitting targets in Syria.

A Syrian military source said government troops had begun a broad ground operation on Wednesday near the village of Latmeen in Hama province, aided by Russian air cover.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported at least 40 Russian air strikes in Hama and neighbouring Idlib province, which is controlled by the powerful Army of Conquest alliance that includes Al Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front.

The alliance has sought to expand into Hama from Idlib and seize high ground to target the neighbouring regime stronghold of Latakia province.

The Britain-based Observatory said “many raids, believed to be from Russian warplanes, killed six people” including two children in Maraat al-Numan in Idlib.A military source in Hama said that “the Syrian army in its latest operations is working on cutting off the southern parts of Idlib province from the northern parts of Hama province”. He added that the operations were also intended to begin securing the major highway between Aleppo and Damascus.

Russia says its forces have hit 112 targets since its operations in Syria — which it insists target IS and other “terrorist groups” — began on Sept 30.

But Syrian rebels and their backers say a range of opposition fighters, not just jihadists, have been hit.

The US-backed Suqur al-Jabal rebel group in the northern province of Aleppo said Wednesday its arms depots had been destroyed in Russian raids.Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu alleged that just two out of 57 Russian strikes examined by Turkish intelligence had hit IS.

The Russian campaign has raised hackles in Ankara, which accuses Moscow of violating its airspace from Syria on at least two occasions over the weekend.

It also reported a violation by a MIG-29 jet of unknown nationality on Monday.

Turkey has protested the violations, backed by the Nato alliance to which it belongs, and warned Russia against losing its friendship with Ankara, which has been severely tested over Syria. Tensions between Russia and the United States also escalated Wednesday, with Defence Secretary Ash Carter insisting that Washington is not cooperating with Russia over its air campaign.

A Pentagon spokesman said US-led coalition aircraft had been re-routed on at least one occasion to avoid Russian warplanes over Syria.

Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2015

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