From our news desk:
Kremlin Rejects German, Turkish Accusations Over Syria
Russia says there is "no credible evidence" of civilian deaths as a result of Russian air strikes in Syria.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the comments on February 9, a day after German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was "horrified" by the suffering being caused by Russia's bombing campaign among civilians.
The spokesman also described as "wrong and absurd" accusations by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Russia was engaged in an invasion of Syria.
Moscow has also accused Ankara of planning to invade Syria.
Russia launched air strikes in Syria on September 30, helping government forces recapture some territory lost to extremist groups and other opposition fighters in central and western Syria.
Turkey shot down a Russian bomber on the Syrian-Turkish border in November, resulting in a breakdown in relations between Moscow and Ankara.
Based on reporting by Reuters and TASS
EU's Tusk says Russian bombings in Syria are making things worse
Top European Union official Donald Tusk denounced Russian airstrikes in Syria as helping the "murderous" government of President Bashar Assad and triggering fresh waves of refugees fleeing toward Europe, Reuters reports.
From our news desk:
Ambassador: Some 10,000 Russian Citizens Remain In Syria
Russia's ambassador to Damascus says an estimated 10,000 Russian citizens are currently living in war-torn Syria.
Ambassador Aleksandr Kinshchak told TASS news agency that the figure includes those Syrians from mixed families who have Russian passports.
He also said that it was difficult to give an exact figure because many Russian citizens prefer not to be registered at the consulate.
The ambassador said Russian citizens have the possibility to be evacuated from Syria by boarding humanitarian planes returning from the western Syrian city of Latakia to Russia.
Russia launched air strikes in Syria on September 30, helping government forces recapture some territory lost to extremist groups and other opposition fighters in central and western Syria.
Based on reporting by TASS
IS claims this morning's suicide attack in Damascus
The IS group has claimed this morning's suicide car bombing in Damascus.
Suicide blast in Damascus kills several
There are confused reports about a suicide car bombing in Damascus this morning.
Reuters is reporting that a suicide car bomber blew himself up at a police officers' club in the Syrian capital, killing several people, according to Syria's interior ministry said.
The ministry said that a number of people were also wounded in the blast in the Masken Barza district where several major government buildings are located.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has put the death toll at eight police officers killed and 20 wounded.
But Syrian state news agency SANA is reporting that three civilians were killed and 14 were injured in the blast. SANA says the attack happened near a fruit and vegetable market, citing a source in the Damascus police command.
Reuters reports that Syrian state TV had reported that the attack occurred near a market but then retracted the report.
UN refugee agency calls on Turkey to open border to Syrians fleeing Aleppo
The UN has urged Turkey to open its borders to the thousands of Syrian refugees fleeing heavy fighting in Aleppo, Reuters reports.
"Turkey has also allowed a number of vulnerable and wounded people in Turkey. However, many people are not being allowed to cross the border. We are asking Turkey to open its border to all civilians in Syria fleeing danger in need of international protection as they have done," William Spindler, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, told a news briefing.
Kremlin: no credible evidence of casualties in Russia's Syria air strikes
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that there is no credible evidence that Russian air strikes in Syria have caused civilian casualties, RIA Novosti reports.
Peskov was responding to comments yesterday by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who said that she was "appalled" by the suffering in Syria caused by Russia's bombing campaign.
But Peskov dismissed Merkel's comments.
"As for the German chancellor's words about alleged civilian casualties as a result of Russian air strikes in Syria, we need to draw attention to the fact that despite the enormous number of such claims, so far no one has presented a single piece of evidence supporting these facts," Peskov said.
But what about...
And what about the situation two or three years ago in Syria, when "terrorists" were committing "barbaric acts" in Syria, Peskov went on to ask, rhetorically.
"Unfortunately, we did not hear a similar assessments of the barbaric actions of the terrorists, who attacked and savagely attacked Syrian territory, encircling Syrian military forces and the legitimate authorities of Syria," Peskov said.
"Then we didn't hear any similar assessments from anyone."
Only Russia, Iran operating legitimately in Syria: official
Russia's deputy foreign minister Oleg Syromolotov has said that only Russia and Iran are operating legitimately in Syria and that the U.S.-led coalition against the IS group has no legal basis for carrying out operations in the country.
"In this current situation it is not possible to speak about the legitimacy of anti-terror forces in Syria of any foreign countries apart from Russia and Iraq. The U.S.-created "anti-terrorism coalition" has no such legitimacy -- either by UN Security Council sanction or by invitation from the legal Syrian government," Syromolotov told RIA Novosti.