Syrian conflict

Assad's comments come during talks with Russian delegation visiting Damascus just days after Assad went to Moscow

Russia began an aerial campaign in Syria on September 30, in response to a request from Damascus

Russian air strikes have carried out 934 operations that have destroyed 819 terrorist targets, claims Kartopolov

Visit is believed to be Assad's first foreign trip since outbreak of Syrian crisis in 2011

Moscow says it has hit some 500 "terrorist" targets since launching a bombing campaign in Syria on September 30

British-based monitor says rebel commander and families of rebel fighters were among the dead

US Secretary of State cited that mass migration would significantly worsen if global warming persists

Dmitry Medvedev claims Russian force has successfully hit 456 IS targets in Syria since September 30

The fighting has stepped up since Russia late last month began an aerial campaign in the country

Russians allegedly reduced its air strikes as allied government forces pushed on a ground offensive against ISIL

State television says forces had taken control of Al-Dar Al-Kabirah village, just north of Homs city

Even if Assad is evil, given a choice between Assad and the IS, who do we prefer?

US claims the majority of Russian strikes have not hit IS but instead targeted rebel groups working against Assad

UK-based monitor says regime forces entered village of Kafr Nabuda in Hama province

Human Rights Watch says photographs show cluster munitions were dropped on Kafr Halab village on October 4

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook says training program was only part of the US effort

Russia has been conducting air strikes in Syria in defense of the embattled regime of President Bashar al-Assad

Liberal Turk intellectuals have coined the phrase “Pakistanisation of Turkey” when discussing fallout of Syrian crisis

Defence Secretary Ashton Carter terms Russia's action in Syria as 'fundamentally mistaken'

Monitor says Russia's air strikes hit northern parts of Hama province and nearby areas in Idlib province

Military historian says Russia's priority is to protect densely-populated western and coastal parts of country

Russian defence ministry says over past 24 hours SU-34, SU-24M and SU-25 jets made 20 sorties

The Russians have long had a close relationship with President Assad, who they view as a strategic asset

Putin is making a lot of sense & I suspect that deep down President Obama and David Cameron know that Russia is right

Coalition says these military actions constitute further escalation and will fuel more extremism and radicalisation

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu says operation has been entirely against positions of Free Syrian Army

Russian lawmaker says 2,500 air strikes by US-led coalition had failed to inflict significant damage on Islamic State

CIA has run ostensibly covert training program for vetted Syrian rebel groups deemed moderate by Western states

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Russian military only went after "terrorist groups" in Syria

Russia's deepening engagement in Syria comes as Putin and Barack Obama push rival plans on ways to defeat IS group

Foreign Minister Wang Yi urges five permanent members of UN to unite and seek opportunity to politically solve crisis

Spokesman for Ahrar al-Sham rebel group says regime continuing and Assad staying is failure

US president describes Assad as a tyrant and as the chief culprit behind the four-year civil war

Deputy FM says Russia wants talks to happen 'as quickly as possible'

Fierce raids follow delivery by Russia of new arms including warplanes to its ally Syria

Israeli media reports discussions involved avoiding clashes between the two militaries' jets over Syria

Syrian air force has been increasing its strikes against IS in recent days as it received reinforcements from Russia

US official says their training in Turkey lasted two months and they went directly to front lines with Daesh

Air raid comes a day after rebel mortar fire on government-held areas of northern city killed 38 people

Satellite imagery shows archaeological sites in Syria are dotted by hundreds of illegal excavations

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. We can all agree pictures of dead Syrian refugees are worth a lot more

Syrian state television effectively acknowledged the loss, saying troops had left the base

Urges China, Russian to look beyond their national interests

Father says boat started to take in water shortly after it set off in the dead of the night, and he lost his grip

While Russia says its raids targeted IS, locals in opposition-held area say extremist group has no presence in region

Known as the "Pearl of the Desert", Palmyra, which means City of Palms, lies 210 kilometres northeast of Damascus