Dubai: Saudi Arabia demands Russia end its military operations against targets in Syria, a Saudi diplomat said in remarks broadcast by Saudi-owned al-Arabiya television, adding the Islamic State militant group was not present in the areas that were attacked.

Speaking at the United Nations in New York on Wednesday, Abdallah Al-Mouallimi said: ‘The delegation of my country expresses its profound concern regarding the military operations which Russian forces have carried out in Homs and Hama today, places where ISIS forces are not present. These attacks led to a number of innocent victims. We demand it stop immediately and not recur.’

Using a common acronym for Islamic State, he added: ‘As for those countries that have claimed recently to join in the fight against ISIS terrorism, they can’t do that at the same time as they support the terrorism of the Syrian regime ...’