Russia's parliament granted President Vladimir Putin permission to launch airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Syria, Russian media reported Wednesday.
Sergey Ivanov, the Kremlin's chief of staff, told journalists that Putin was granted permission to use armed forces outside the country by the Federation Council — the upper house of the Russian parliament — the TASS news agency reported.
However, Ivanov said Russia will only use its air force in Syria, where a civil war has been raging since 2011. Russian presidential aide Vladimir Kozhin later told reporters that Russia will supply “all the necessary armaments” to Syria, TASS reported.
"The Federation Council unanimously supported the president’s request," Ivanov said, according to TASS.
