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Since late September 2015, Russia has launched airstrikes in Syria in order to assist the forces defending the Assad regime against the rebels and the Islamic State. Russia’s intervention includes the deployment of aerial forces (close to 40 fighter jets and helicopters), aerial defense systems, and aerial command and control systems. President Vladimir Putin described the purpose of Russia’s intervention as a battle against the Islamic State, although as of November 2015 most of the targets attacked were those belonging to the rebels, who were described as terrorists but were not aligned with the Islamic State. The Russian squadrons deployed in Syria are operating as part of a coalition that includes the Syrian army still loyal to Assad, Iran (which has dispatched some 2,000 Quds Force fighters to Syria), and Hezbollah, providing aerial assistance to the coalition forces on the ground. In addition, Russia is using heavy bombers and cruise missiles fired from its soil and even from submarines in the Mediterranean.