Rockets hit Russian embassy in Damascus

Russian security officials have released new details about a group suspected of planning a terror attack in Moscow with support from the Islamic State group, saying it was comprised of 12 Russian citizens, including at least one who had been trained in Syria.

The only group on the ground to have success against Islamic State while cooperating with the U.S.-led coalition is a Kurdish militia, the YPG, which has carved out an autonomous zone in northern Syria and advanced deep into Islamic State's stronghold Raqqa province.

A number of rebel groups backed by Assad's foreign enemies and operating under the banner of the "Free Syrian Army" have deployed anti-tank missiles along a frontline stretching from Kafr Nabuda to the town of Maan a few 30 km (20 miles) to the east, said Fares al-Bayoush, a former Syrian army colonel who heads the Fursan al-Haq group.

"They are highly effective".

"We are pleased that Russian and USA military forces were able to create a mechanism that allows them to avoid unintentional accidents, but we are disappointed that our American colleagues can not, at this time, take the next step to really coordinate efforts with all parties involved in the fight against terrorism in Syria". "The situation in terms of ammunition and weapons with the Syrian opposition is excellent".

The Observatory's director Rami Abdulrahman identified most of the reinforcing fighters as members of jihadist groups. "It increased in the last days, and it has proven its effectiveness".

The rebels are hoping for more military support from Arab states, notably Saudi Arabia, which has warned Russian Federation its intervention will escalate the war and inspire more foreign fighters to go to Syria to fight.

An alliance of insurgents targeted by Russian air strikes said on Tuesday it was starting an operation to recapture Hama.

On Tuesday, the Army of Conquest, a coalition that includes several powerful rebel factions as well as the al-Qaida-affiliated Nusra Front, announced its counteroffensive against government forces. "So, the reality check means that it's not more of the same that is going to lead to the political process to start and to end with a transition but to have a different kind of approach, which means involving also representatives of the regime at the negotiating table led by the United Nations", Mogherini said.

The suspects appeared Tuesday in a Moscow court, which ordered them held for two months.

Interfax news agency said Russia's air force carried out 88 sorties in the last 24 hours, one of the biggest totals of its campaign.

"We are not striving for a few sort of leadership on Syria", he said at Tuesday's forum.

USA officials and outside experts say the Obama administration is unlikely to protect CIA-backed rebels from Russian air strikes - by providing them with surface-to-air missiles, for example - for fear they could fall into the wrong hands and be used against passenger jets in a terrorist attack.