Russian jets hit 83 targets in Syria over the past 24 hours, AFP reports, following a military statement about Russia ramping up its bombing campaign as President Bashar al-Assad made a surprise visit to Moscow.
"Russian airplanes in Syria carried out 46 sorties against 83 infrastructure targets of the Islamic State terrorist organization," Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told Russian news agencies, adding that the strikes had hit mainly in the Idlib, Aleppo, Deir Ezzor, Damascus and Hama provinces.