This is a purported image of IS militants in the Libyan city of Sabratha.
The militants took over Sabratha's downtown yesterday without any resistance, according to reports.
Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, has criticized the deployment of Turkish troops and tanks to northern Iraq without Baghdad's approval, AFP reports.
No country should "send its soldiers to the territory of another state under the pretext of supporting it in fighting terrorism without the conclusion of an agreement... between the governments of the two countries," Sistani said in remarks delivered by a representative at weekly Friday Prayers.
Geneva remains on high alert today as police carry out further searches in the city for several suspected extremists who are believed to have links to the IS group, AFP reports.
The region in western Switzerland remains at alert-level three out of five, the local government told AFP this morning.
"For now, there is no change to the security situation," said spokeswoman Emmanuelle Lo Verso, who on December 10 said police were investigating "a specific threat", and were "actively searching" for suspects.
And here's a full translation of Putin's comments about the Russian military's "harsh response" if it is threatened in Syria.
"I want to warn those who are again trying to organize any sort of provocation against our military personnel. We have already taken additonal measures to safeguard Russian military personnel and air bases [in Syria]. It is reinforced with new air squadrons and air defense assets," Putin said.
"All air strike operations are carried out with fighter cover. I order you to act in a very tough manner. Any targets that threaten the Russian [military] group or our ground infrastructure will be destroyed immediately."
Here's a translation of the full quote from Putin regarding his claim this morning that upward of 5,000 Free Syrian Army fighters are attacking "terrorist" positions along with Syrian goverment troops.
"I emphasize that the work of our air group [in Syria] is facilitating the joint efforts of government forces and the Free Syrian Army. Now several of its parts totaling more than 5,000 men are, just like the regular forces, carrying out offensives against terrorists in Homs, Hama, Aleppo and Raqqa. Apart from that, we are supporting them from the air, just like the Syrian army, we are giving them assistance with weapons, ammunition and material resources," Putin said.
Putin was speaking at an extended Defense Ministry meeting this morning.
Parts of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) totalling around 5,000 troops are attacking "terrorist" positions together with the Syrian government forces, Russian President Putin has said.
Russia's air force has conducted around 4,000 sorties in Syria, says Russian Defense Minister Shoigu.
The Russian military in Syria has restored a tank-repair factory in Homs, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu says.
The IS group has made more than $500 million trading oil, a U.S. Treasury official has told the BBC.
Its "primary customer" has been Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government, despite IS's ongoing battle to overthrow Assad, Adam Szubin said.
IS had also looted up to $1 billion from banks in territory it held, Szubin said.
Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has said that the IS group controls around 70 percent of Syria's territory.
Shoigu also said that there are 60,000 militants fighting alongside the IS group.
Shoigu was speaking at an extended Defense Ministry meeting this morning.
Russia has frequently made no distinction between the IS group and armed Syrian opposition groups who are fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces.