Turkey and its partners in the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS called on Russia on Friday to cease its attacks on Syrian opposition forces and focus on targeting Islamist militants, expressing “deep concern” over Moscow’s air strikes, Reuters reported.
In a joint statement with the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Gulf Arab allies, Turkey said Russia’s actions constituted a “further escalation” of the conflict and would only fuel more extremism.
“We express our deep concern with regard to the Russian military build-up in Syria and especially the attacks by the Russian Air Force on Hama, Homs and Idlib since yesterday which led to civilian casualties and did not target Daesh,” it said.

Russia’s decision to join the war with air strikes on behalf of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad this week, and the increased military involvement of Iran, could mark a turning point in a conflict that has drawn in most of the world’s military powers.

Hundreds of Iranian troops have arrived in Syria to join a major ground offensive in support of Assad’s government, Lebanese sources said on Thursday, a sign the civil war is turning still more regional and global in scope.