Russia says summit to help clarify military situation in Syria's Idlib

Russia's deputy foreign minister said on Wednesday that the military situation in the Syrian opposition-held province of Idlib would become clearer after a summit in Tehran on Friday, the TASS news agency reported.

"I think the situation from a military point of view will become clearer after, among other things, the leaders of the three guarantor states (Russia, Iran, Turkey) hold talks on Friday (September 7)," Sergei Ryabkov told a news conference.

Ryabkov said that any Russian military action in Syria tried to minimise civilian casualties and was precisely targeted, the RIA news agency reported.

Russia resumed air strikes in the opposition-held enclave of Idlib province on Tuesday after a hiatus of several weeks, according to a Syrian opposition member and a war monitor.

"We, as we have said many times before, act precisely, selectively, trying to minimise possible risks to the peaceful population," RIA quoted Ryabkov as saying.

Ryabkov added that the situation in Syria cannot be "normalized until the problen in Idlib is solved."