France said it was “curious” that Russian air strikes in Syria had not targeted ISIS militants, with a diplomatic source added that Moscow’s action appeared aimed at supporting Bashar al-Assad against other opposition groups in the country’s civil war, Reuters reported.
 “Russian forces struck Syria and curiously didn’t hit Islamic State,” Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told lawmakers in Paris.
A French diplomatic source said the strikes, carried out near Homs, an area crucial to Assad’s control of western Syria.
“It is not Daesh (ISIS) that they are targeting, but probably opposition groups, which confirms that they are more in support of Bashar’s regime than in fighting Daesh,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
France has in the past trained and equipped Syrian rebels who have been vetted by its intelligence services and are deemed not to be linked to Islamist groups. It has also taken part in US training programmes, officials have said, and supports the Western-backed Syrian National Coalition.
In response to the Russian attacks and its proposals for a UN Security Council resolution to fight ISIS and al-Qaeda affiliates, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said he welcomed all those who wanted to fight terrorism, but that Moscow had to meet three conditions.
He said Russia could not be ambiguous over who the enemy was, had to push Assad to stop indiscriminate barrel bombing of civilian populations and had to make clear that Assad would not be in government after a political transition.
“The Syrian people need to be told that their executioner will not be there in the future,” Mr Fabius said.
A second French diplomatic source said Russia’s air strikes did not suggest Moscow was ready to do that.