The United States has extended its sanctions list and it includes a Syrian national who is said to be an IS middleman (from RFE/RL's news desk):
The United States has added four individuals and six entities to sanctions list for supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, including a Russian bank and a former official.
The U.S. Treasury Department said on November 25 that the sanctions target the Russian Financial Alliance Bank for its role in financial transactions with the Syrian government.
It also sanctioned two individuals linked to the bank -- Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, who is currently the chairman of the World Chess Federation and the former President of the Russian region of Kalmykia, and Mudalal Khuri, one of the bank's leaders.
The sanctions also target a Syrian businessman, George Haswani, who the department said "serves as a middleman for oil purchases by the Syrian regime" from Islamic State militant group.
Others targeted by the fresh round of sanctions included other entities owned or controlled by Khuri, the department said.
(Reuters, Interfax)
Russians React To Downing Of Jet
Some Moscow residents voiced anger the day after Turkey shot down a Russian military jet, while others urged calm and caution. (RFE/RL's Current Time TV)
Russia’s NATO Ambassador Alexander Grushko has accused NATO of providing "political cover" for Turkey because the alliance "fears the consequences for itself" if the incident over Turkey's downing of a Russian Su-24 jet in Syria "was not resolved, since Turkey is a member of NATO and NATO is linked to Turkey by a range of obligations."
Grushko added, referring to yesterday's extraordinary NATO meeting that had been called by Turkey:
"There is a certain confusion in NATO. Yesterday, we saw such 'political theater.' The meaning of which is, based on Atlantic solidarity and the interests of political solidarity, to politically "cover" for Ankara."
Grushko said that Turkey had commited a serious illegal act, that of "downing a plane in the air space of another country."
"Even, as it turns out today, even if our plane did accidentally violate Turkish air space, then that was a very short violation and it moved from Syria to Syria. Yesterday all this was glossed over."