MOSCOW, October 1 (Sputnik) — The Russian military commenced airstrikes against terrorist positions on Wednesday, following a request from Syrian President Bashar Assad.
"It is in accordance with international law and at the request of the legitimate authorities of Syria, that Russia launched a military operation in support of the Syrian Arab Republic against terrorist groups and formations of the so-called Islamic State… operating in the area," Naryshkin said at the Fourth International Parliamentary Forum in Moscow.
The Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed that it has already carried out some 20 combat missions in Syria since the campaign started, striking at least eight IS targets.
