Russia Has 'Started' Airstrikes in Syria

A U.S. official announced on Wednesday that the United States has obtained evidence indicating that Russia has begun its airstrikes in Syria. The unnamed official told Reuters that the attack occurred around the city of Homs, and Moscow informed Washington about the operation one hour prior to its execution. He stated that the received information was preliminary and refused to disclose further details, especially regarding the number of Russian airstrikes. Reuters reports that the U.S. Central Command also declined to comment on the news. Meanwhile, the French news agency quoted a Syrian security source stating that 'Russian and Syrian planes conducted multiple attacks today against terrorist positions in the provinces of Hama, Homs, and Latakia.' The Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed that military operations in Syria have begun. This marks Russia's first military action in a war-torn country far from its borders since the 1979 invasion of Afghanistan. Vladimir Putin stated that this is a preemptive action and warned that Moscow will incapacitate Islamic State militants before they reach Russia. In a televised statement, he emphasized: 'The only correct way to fight international terrorism... is through preemptive action; to wage war and destroy fighters and terrorists in the areas they currently occupy, rather than waiting for them to reach us.' The announcement comes on a day when the Russian parliament authorized the use of military force against Islamic State militants in Syria, paving the way for Moscow's military intervention in its closest Middle Eastern ally's territory. Russia has now sent its military experts to a new center in Baghdad to coordinate airstrikes and ground operations in Syria. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that this center will be used for exchanging information regarding airstrikes in Syria. However, Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Vladimir Putin, declined to comment on the start of Russian airstrikes against ISIS positions in Syria. The United States and its allies have been bombing Islamic State positions in Syria and Iraq for a year. France also conducted its first airstrikes in Syria earlier this week. The Russian parliament supported military action in Syria with 162 votes in favor and no opposing votes. This authorization was issued after Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, requested military support from his Russian counterpart in a letter to combat the Islamic State group and other militants. Sergey Ivanov, head of the Kremlin office, stated: 'We are specifically talking about Syria and are not seeking to achieve foreign policy goals or ambitions... but are specifically looking to secure the national interests of the Russian Federation.' He added that Russia's military action will not be permanent and will occur within a specific timeframe. Ivanov clarified that the parliament's authorization does not mean that Russian ground forces will be deployed in Syria. He stated: 'As the president (of Russia) has previously said, the use of ground forces is off the agenda. The specific goal of our military operations is to provide air support to Syrian government forces in the fight against ISIS.' Dmitry Peskov also mentioned that the parliamentary resolution means that Russia is effectively the only country entering military operations in Syria 'within a legal framework' and at the request of the 'legitimate president of Syria.' The last time the Russian parliament authorized the deployment of military forces abroad was last year when Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine.