Russian jets continued hitting Islamic State (Isis) targets in Syria on Wednesday (18 November) as Moscow intensified its air strikes one day after President Vladmir Putin said Moscow wanted retribution against those responsible for blowing up a Russian airliner over Egypt. The Russian defence ministry released videos showing TU-95, TU-22 and TU-160 bombers taking off from air bases in Syria and Russia and dropping bombs on targets in Syria.
French fighter jets also intensified their raids on Syria on Tuesday (17 November) night, targeting the IS stronghold of Raqqa after the group claimed responsibility for coordinated attacks in Paris that killed more than 130 people.
IS said it carried out the attacks in Paris in retaliation for French and Russian air raids in Iraq and Syria. Investigators said the Paris plot was hatched in Syria and nurtured in Belgium.
On Tuesday the Kremlin said Putin and his French counterpart Francois Hollande had spoken on the phone and agreed to boost coordination of their military actions in Syria.
