Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday:

No Reason to Stop Airstrikes; Operation Will Continue in Syria: Lavrov

No Reason to Stop Airstrikes; Operation Will Continue in Syria: Lavrov
Wed Feb 3, 2016 14:00:14

Russia will continue its operation in Syria until terrorism groups in the Arab Republic are defeated, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday.

"Russian airstrikes will not cease until we truly win over terrorist groups: Daesh, Jabhat al-Nusra  and such. I see no reason to stop these airstrikes," Lavrov told reporters.

Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with the army loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting several opposition factions and militant groups, including the Nusra Front (Jabhat al-Nusra) and Daesh.

The Russian Aerospace Defense Forces have been conducting an aerial campaign against the terrorist positions in Syria since September 30, following a request from President Assad.

According to mid-January data from the Russian General Staff, the Russian forces carried out over 5,600 sorties and 97 cruise missile launches during the first 100 days of the counterterrorism operation in Syria, having destroyed thousands of terrorist targets, including several hundred militants, dozens of command centers and depots.

string(768) "[{"id":"1785138","sort":"3487052","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/02/01/alalam_635899415301830187_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"PICS & VIDEO: Russia Will Test New Su-35S Multirole Fighters in Syria"} ,{"id":"1785211","sort":"3487051","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/02/01/alalam_635899590120919268_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Russia to Test S-500 Missile Defense System in 2016"} ,{"id":"1785486","sort":"3487050","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/02/02/alalam_635900327076645437_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"URGENT: Pentagon Announces $3.4 Billion to Deter ‘Russia’s Actions’"} ,{"id":"1785631","sort":"3487049","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/02/03/alalam_635900848614375108_25f_4x3.mp4","title":"VDO: Russia Targets ISIS Munition, Oil Depots, Command Centers in Lattakia"} ]"