Reports Indicate Russian Strikes Are Not Targeting ISIS

U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) on Wednesday took to the Senate floor to blast President Obama over Russian airstrikes in Syria, which reports indicate are not hitting ISIS targets.

McCain said the Russian airstrikes, which began Wednesday, point to what he called an historic loss of American power in the Middle East, and the ascendancy of Russia in that region.

McCain said that Russia has been able to gain a foothold in the region because Obama failed to carry through on his promise to "degrade and destroy" ISIS elements in Syria.

According to Politico, the U.S. was notified by Russia that the airstrikes were coming about an hour before they began.

The report indicates that the Russian strikes targeted anti-government forces near the city of Homs that are not under the control of ISIS. Russia has been an ally of President Bashar al-Assad in its four-year civil war. The U.S. has called on Assad to step down from the Presidency.

"This administration has confused our friends, encouraged our enemies, mistaken an excess of caution for prudence, and replaced the risks of action with the perils of inaction," McCain said.

McCain said Russian President Vladimir Putin has deployed air-to-air fighters into Syria as well as ground strike aircraft. "My friends, ISIS has no air force," McCain said.

CNN reports that there are four Su-34 Fullback fighter jets at the Latakia air base in Syria. The BBC reports that it is believed that SU-24 fighter-bombers are involved in the strikes.

CNN reports that Gen. Philip Breedlove, NATO's supreme allied commander, said on Monday that "I have not seen ISIL flying any airplanes that require sophisticated air-to-air capabilities."

(SU-34 [top] and SU-24 [bottom] images from file)

FMI: www.c-span.org/video/?113694-1/radio-sen-john-mccain-raz-russias-actions-syria