Russia launches missile attacks against IS, Nusra Front in Syria

Russia pounded Syrian provinces of Homs and Idlib with coordinated air strikes Tuesday targeting the Islamic State and the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, Reuters reported.

Cruise missiles and missiles fired from a mobile land-based missile system inside Syria were complemented by jets fired from Russia's sole aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov, which was used for the first time, defence minister Sergei Shoigu said.

"We carried out exhaustive advance research on all targets," Shoigu told Reuters. "We are talking about warehouses with ammunition, terrorist training centres ... and factories."

The defence minister said the strikes in the provinces would continue. He made no mention of the city of Aleppo which has been targeted by Russia-backed Syrian forces for months and where a 72-hour truce between US and Russia recently came to an end.

However, Syrian state television said Syria's air force carried out strikes on Aleppo on Tuesday. 

A civil defence official and a resident told Reuters air strikes had resumed in several districts in the rebel-held eastern part of the city for the first time in weeks.

Russia claims its air force is for now honouring a unilateral moratorium on hitting rebel targets inside Aleppo, Reuters reported.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)