War on terror

Russia defends Syria airstrikes amid claims of blows to U.S.-backed rebels

Russia waded deeper into Syria’s civil war Thursday, striking rebel positions far from Islamic State strongholds for a second day and leaving little doubt that the immediate target of the intervention is to secure President Bashar al-Assad’s hold on power.

The expanding Russian involvement in Syria threatened to further complicate efforts to secure a negotiated settlement to the four-year-old war at a time when the influx of refugees into Europe and the endurance of the Islamic State are focusing world attention on the unrelenting bloodshed in Syria.