Russia Bombs Syria: Russian Airstrikes Kill Over 30 Civilians, ISIS Not Targeted

Russian forces intervened in Syria's civil war for the first time on Wednesday as Moscow's fighter jets struck targets near the city of Homs, according to U.S. government sources.

The White House was given an hour's notice before the attack took place, an unidentified official told USA Today. It was not clear whether Russia was going after the ISIS terrorist group or more moderate Syrian rebels, both of which are fighting Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, a Moscow ally.

Russian President Vladimir Putin insisted, however, his forces were targeting ISIS and Wednesday's airstrikes aimed to weaken the organization, which controls large swaths of territory across Iraq and Syria, Vox noted.

But the strikes did not actually hit ISIS positions, and Institute for the Study of War researcher Genevieve Casagrande said the bombings seem to have centered Talbiseh, a town in the rebel-held area just north of Homs.

"Talbiseh is home to Syrian al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra, hardline Islamist Ahrar al-Sham, and a number of other local rebel groups," all of which are generally considered hostile to ISIS, Casagrande said.

"The airstrike did not hit ISIS militants."

And some of Russia's targets may include U.S. allies, added Michael Horowitz, a senior intelligence analyst at the Levantine Group.

"Russia targeted only groups that are not ISIS and it may have targeted groups backed by the (United States)," he said. "It's really clear that the airstrikes were not meant to target ISIS."

Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter confirmed in a news conference Russia appears to have targeted areas that do not include ISIS fighters, adding Moscow's approach was "doomed to fail," The Associated Press noted.

"By supporting Assad and seemingly taking on everyone who is fighting Assad, you're taking on the whole rest of the country of Syria," he said.

The Syrian Civil Defense, a group that describes itself as a "neutral, impartial and humanitarian" organization that aims to "save lives and strengthen civilian communities" across the warn-torn country, claimed in a Twitter post that 33 civilians had been killed in the Russian airstrikes. The death count included one minor and one of its own volunteers/

Anti-ISIS missions by the U.S.-led coalition in Syria, meanwhile, continued as planned despite Russia's warning to stay out of the nation's airspace, the State Department told CNN. Russia's Ministry of Defense released footage of the strike on Facebook, stating that their "surgical strike" targeted military positions, including weapon depots.