News Analysis: Syria thirsts for Russian air support to crush IS

After the Russian parliament unanimously approved the use of the Russian air force in Syria, Syrian analysts said the move could usher in "efficient" strikes that will make a big difference in the battle against the terrorist groups in Syria.

"The fresh Russian decision means that Moscow is about to provide an efficient military aid to the Syrian army in the face of the terrorist groups and more specifically, the air force support by the Russian air force and warplanes," Hmaidi Abdullah, a Syrian political analyst, told Xinhua.

He said Wednesday's statement will usher in the commencement of the Russian air force operations to support the Syrian army against the terrorist groups, mainly the Islamic State (IS) group. He added that all of the previous Russian statements came to pave the way for Wednesday's decision.

Osama Danura, another political researcher, said the Russian decision has probably come because Moscow hasn't sensed a real cooperation with Washington in its move to fight terrorism especially after the rhetoric of the U.S. administration, which included skepticism of any Russian success in its bids to fight the IS in Syria.

"The Russians have paved the way politically to achieve a thicker engagement in the war on terror and having legitimacy inside Russia to directly engage against the terror groups on the Syrian arena was the last step toward a major involvement in Syria," he said.

Earlier in the day, Russia's Federation Council, the upper house of parliament, granted President Vladimir Putin approval to send armed forces to Syria, Russian Presidential Administration Chief Sergei Ivanov said Wednesday.

"The Federation Council unanimously supported the president's request," Tass news agency quoted Ivanov as saying.

According to Ivanov, only air forces would be used by Russia in Syria to fight against Islamic State militants at the request of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Earlier in the day, Putin formally requested permission from the upper house to send "contingent of Russian Armed Forces" outside Russian territories "in line with universally recognized principles and international laws," according to an online statement released by the Kremlin.

"The operation's goal is only to provide air support to Syrian armed forces in the fight against IS," Ivanov stressed.

He added that the operation would be limited in time while refusing to specify the types of weapons that would be used.

Moreover, all Russia's partners and allies would be informed about the decision as well as operation details if necessary, according to Ivanov.

Under Russian Constitution, the Federation Council is responsible for deciding on the possibility of using Russian armed forces outside the country.

For its part, Damascus has confirmed it had asked Russia for military aid, saying the Russian air force aid to Syria has come upon the request of President Bashar al-Assad, according to the state news agency SANA.

"Sending Russian air force to Syria came upon the request of the Syrian state, which came through a letter sent by President Bashar al-Assad to President Vladimir Putin, which include an invitation to send a Russian air force as part of Putin's initiative to counter terrorism," SANA said, citing a statement from the presidential media office in Damascus.

A couple of weeks ago, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said in an interview that his government could ask for a Russian military aid if necessary. A day later, Russian officials said Moscow is ready to provide aid to Syria.

The Russian leadership has recently amplified its military aid to the Syrian military forces. Russian officials have recently stressed that Moscow will continue providing military aid, including specialists, to Damascus.

Russian officials said the increasing military supplies aim at combating terrorism in accordance with international law.

Military experts say the Russian supplies will for sure have a notable effect on the battles in Syria amid activists' reports that the Syrian air force have already started using newly-received Russian war jets.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based watchdog group, said the Syrian air force started flying new warplanes to strike positions of the Islamic State (IS) militants near a besieged airfield in Aleppo province in northern Syria.

The pan-Arab al-Mayadeen also said the Syrian military started using the Russian weapons, adding that "the new weaponry sent by Russia are of high and precise efficiency and the Syrian army has started getting trained to use them." Endit