According to Russian state television, several shells landed close to a hotel frequented by journalists and humanitarian organizations. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the shelling, but no injuries were reported.

Meanwhile in Moscow, the Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu said his country's military will rely on its experience in the Syrian conflict to further improve its weapons.

Sergei Shoigu also said on Thursday that modern Russian weapons have "shown their reliability and efficiency" in Syria.

Also on Thursday, a Russian plane was filmed landing at the Khmeimim military base with about 40 tons of humanitarian aid to Syria, according to Russian state television.

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