Russia Only State Fighting ISIL in Syria That Acts in Line With Int'l Law

There are no reasons to reject a legal basis for fighting terrorism, Russia's NATO envoy Alexander Grushko said Friday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Grushko pointed out that only Russia is acting in line with international law as it is the only state to get approval from Syrian authorities to launch a military operation in the country.

"This is the moment of truth – if everyone really is saying they want to fight terrorism, there is no reason to reject a reliable legal basis [to fight terrorism]," Grushko said about a draft UN Security Council resolution against the Islamic State jihadist group.

According to Grushko, Russia has suggested combining efforts via a resolution, the text of which is currently being assembled.

Syria has been in a state of civil war since March 2011. Government forces have been fighting on multiple fronts against opposition forces and numerous extremist militant groups, such as Islamic State and the Nusra Front.

The United States, which does not consider Syrian President Bashar Assad to be the legitimate president of the country, has been conducting airstrikes without Damascus' approval and training opposition forces in the country within the framework of an international coalition.

Moscow asserts that the Assad administration is the legitimate authority in Syria.

Russia’s Sukhoi Su-25, Su-24M and Su-34 attack aircraft, with the support of Su-30 jets, commenced precision airstrikes against ISIL targets in Syria on September 30, following a request from Assad.