Russia doesn't support the Assad regime, we're just defending Syrian sovereignty: Foreign Ministry spox
Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said that Moscow does not support the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but shares its objectives of fighting terror.
Zakharova's comments offer a fascinating insight into how Moscow is framing its actions in Syria and its role in the Syrian conflict. Zakharova denies that Russia is "supporting Assad" and in effect says Moscow's role in Syria is twofold: to support those parties who fight the IS group and to prevent the United States from striking Damascus and forcibly overthrowing Assad, which Zakharova defines as protecting the sovereignty of Syria.
"We don't support the Assad regime but we support it in the fight against terror, just as we support the opposition and the Kurds who are fighting against IS," Zakharova told the Argumenty i Fakty newspaper.
"We say that you cannot bypass Damascus and supply arms to illegal groups and that it is wrong to displace the regime from the outside. We have done everything so that the United States has not struck Damascus. But in the fight between Damascus and the opposition we have not engaged with any of the sides. We have defended the sovereignty of Syria and international law."
Trying to preserve or overthrow a regime from the outside is a "disastrous path," Zakharova added.
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This ends our live blogging for February 24. Be sure to check back tomorrow for our continuing coverage.
Libya officials: French special forces on ground fighting IS: AP
Two Libyan military officials have said that French special forces are in the eastern city of Benghazi helping Libyan troops battle IS militants.
The officials told The Associated Press that a French combat squad, consisting of 15 special forces, had carried out four military operations across Benghazi against IS militants and other militias.
UN first air drop delivers aid to Syria's Deir al-Zor
The UN has said that it has carried out its first air drop of aid in Syria to help civilians in the eastern city of Deir al-Zor, which is besieged by Islamic State militants, the BBC reports.
UN aid chief Stephen O'Brien told the Security Council that a plane had dropped 21 tons of humanitarian aid items on a government-held area of Deir al-Zor.
Syria working with Russia on truce groups, areas: AP
Syria's U.N. ambassador Bashar Ja'afari has said that Damascus is working with close ally Russia to identify the groups and areas to be covered by the cessation of hostilities that is scheduled to take effect at midnight local time on Feb. 27, AP reports.
British woman guilty of failing to tell authorities her husband planned to join IS
A British woman has been found guilty of Syria-related terror offenses.
Lorna Moore, 33, from Walsall failed to tell the authorities that her husband Sajid Aslam planned to join the IS group.
Aslam traveled to Turkey in 2014 and is suspected to be fighting alongside IS.
Moore denied accusations that she was planning to travel to Syria with her three children to join Aslam.
Islamic State militants forced out of Libya's Sabratha after clashes: officials
Islamic State militants briefly entered the center of the western Libyan city of Sabratha during overnight clashes with local military brigades before retreating, local authorities have said, Reuters are reporting.
IS militants have taken advantage of political chaos and a lack of central authority to establish a presence in Libya, with fighters loyal to Islamic State seizing control in Sirte and staging attacks in several other cities.
Turkey's Erdogan says Syrian Kurdish YPG should be excluded from ceasefire
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has once again called for the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its military wing the People’s Protection Units (YPG) to be excluded from the planned cessation of hostilities in Syria, like the IS group and Al-Nusra Front, Hurriyet is reporting.
“The PYD and the YPG need to be out of the scope of the cease-fire, just like Daesh is,” Erdogan said during a speech to village headmen in Ankara on Feb. 24, using an Arabic acronym for IS.
Saudi-backed Syrian opposition yet to agree to cessation of hostilities
Syria's main opposition group said it has yet to commit to a U.S.-Russian plan to stop fighting in Syria on Feb. 27, Reuters report.
"There was no consultation of Syrians. Will all the observations, additions and amendments requested by Syrians be taken into consideration?," Mohamad Alloush, the chief negotiator for the Saudi-backed High Negotiations Committee, said in an interview with the pro-opposition Orient TV station.
Combatants are required to say whether they will agree to the "cessation of hostilities" by noon on Feb. 26 (0500 ET), and to halt fighting at midnight Feb. 27. The deal does not include the IS group or the Al-Nusra Front, an al Qaeda affiliate which is widely deployed in opposition-held areas.
Egypt admits 'terrorists' downed Russian flight from Sharm al-Sheikh
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has admitted for the first time that "terrorists" were responsible for the downing of a Russian passenger plane from Sharm al-Sheikh.
“Has terrorism ended, no it has not but it will if we unite,” Sisi said.
“Whoever downed the Russian plane, what did they want? They wanted to hit tourism, and to hit relations with Russia.”
The announcement comes after months of denial by Egypt of claims by the IS group that it downed the Metrojet flight 9268 over Sinai on Oct. 31, killing all 224 passengers and crew on board.
IS said that its Egyptian branch, Wilayat Sinai, had smuggled a bomb on board the plane in the airport of Sharm al-Sheikh.