Russia Fires Cruise Misses at ISIS Targets in East Syria

A Russian warship based in the Mediterranean fired cruise missiles targeting the so-called Islamic State in east Syria on Tuesday, Reuters reported, citing Russia’s defense ministry.

Three Kalibr misses targeted ISIS facilities in Deir Ezzor province, Reuters said.

According to the Associated Press, the missiles destroyed militant “command facilities, fortified positions and an ammunition depot” near the ISIS-held town of Boukamal.

Citing Russia’s defense ministry, the AP said it was the fourth time in two months that Russian submarines had launched cruise missiles at ISIS targets in Syria.

Seven Children Killed in Government Bombardment Near Damascus

Government shelling on a rebel enclave outside the capital Damascus killed at least seven children on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported.

Citing the activist-run Ghouta Media Center and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the AP said that five children were killed when a shell struck the gates of a school in the town of Jisreen in the Eastern Ghouta suburbs of the capital.

Another child was also killed in Jisreen by an additional shell, the AP said, citing the SOHR.

Shelling in the nearby town of Musraba killed yet another child, in addition to two other people, the AP said, citing the SOHR. The Ghouta Media Center said that two children were killed in the attack on the town.

The area has been designated a so-called de-escalation zone, but the Syrian government has continued to violate the agreement in an attempt to clear out the last rebel holdouts on the outskirts of the capital.

Russia Sets Date for Syria Congress

Russia’s foreign ministry announced on Tuesday that some 33 Syrian groups have been invited to its proposed congress of rival parties.

The congress will be held in the Russian city of Sochi on November 18, Agence France-Presse reported.

The Congress of Syrian National Dialogue, a Russian-sponsored initiative, seeks to bring the Syrian government and its opponents together to discuss a political settlement and constitutional reforms.

The proposal was the main outcome of the seventh round of peace talks in the Kazakh capital of Astana, which opened on Monday.

Russia, Turkey and Iran released a joint statement Tuesday pledging to bring Syrian groups together to negotiate a political solution for the war-torn country, AFP reported.

According to Reuters, the 33 Syrian groups invited to the congress include opposition and Kurdish forces.

This is the first time that Syria’s Kurdish groups have been asked to participate in peace talks. Kurdish officials cited by Reuters described the initiative as a positive step.

Syria’s U.N. ambassador, Bashar al-Jaafari, said the government would also participate in talks.

Syria’s opposition groups, however, were skeptical of the initiative.

Yahya al-Aridi, a spokesman for the Syrian opposition, described the proposed congress as “really worrying” and said he feared it would be used as “fabricated” evidence of reconciliation to mislead both the Syrians and foreign countries, Reuters reported.

U.N.-sponsored peace talks in Geneva, which are favored by the opposition, are scheduled to resume on November 28 – 10 days after the Russian-sponsored congress.

Recommended Reads

• Reuters: Assad Sets Sights on Kurdish Areas, Risking New Syria Conflict
• Al Jazeera: Syrian Opposition: We Still Believe in the Revolution
• Foreign Affairs: Syria’s Fair-Weather Friends
• World Politics Review: For the U.N., a Meaningful Role in Postwar Syria Would Come With a Cost
• Deutsche Welle: Syria: Diplomatic Skills Required