Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that it is too soon for Moscow to give an assessment of a newly-formed Islamic coalition against terrorism.
Saudi Arabia said this morning that 34 mainly Islamic countries have joined a new military alliance to fight terrorism.
"It will take a little more time to analyze this decision," Peskov told reporters this morning.
"We don't have detailed information yet that we would need, i.e. who has joined the coalition, what aims it has declared, in what way will it oppose extremism. Hypothetically speaking, then of course joint efforts in the fight against extremism in its various forms is a positive step but in order to give an assessment we need to understand the details."
Germany's defense minister Ursula von der Leyen has said that she welcomes Saudi Arabia's announcement of the formation of a 34-state Islamic military coalition to combat terrorism.
"I think it's right that the opposition is forming a group but it needs to be -- and this is important -- part of the Vienna process that includes all countries fighting against IS like the U.S., Europe, Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia but also Iran and China," she said.
The BBC's Gavin Lee tweets that two independent eyewitnesses have told the BBC that they saw the ringleader of the November 13 Paris attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, on the Greek island of Leros in October.
The IS group has continued to gain ground in the southern countryside of Homs in Syria, advancing on a small village eight kilometers from the Al-Shayrat air base, NOW Media reports, citing the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) and pro-opposition media.
SOHR said that initial information suggested that IS had taken control of the villages of Al-Naamah and Al-Hadath further south. Pro-opposition SMART News also reported that IS had taken control of the villages.
Rumors circulated last week that Russia was enlarging the runway at the Al-Shayrat base in order to use it as a second base in Syria. Russia has denied the reports.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that the problem of terrorism goes beyond the Syrian conflict and that the IS group is gaining strength in Libya as well as continuing to be active in Iraq, Yemen and Afghanistan.
Lavrov said that both President Vladimir Putin and President Barack Obama have talked about the need for a more effective war on terror.
Speaking at the opening of talks this morning with his American counterpart John Kerry, Lavrov emphasized that a "political settlement in Syria needs our constant attention in keeping with the objectives and agreements reached in Vienna over the course of the two meetings of the [International Syrian Support Group]."
The next meeting of the International Syrian Support Group is expected to take place Friday in New York.
Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said that Turkish troops in northern Iraq do not pose a threat to Iraq's territorial identity, Kurdish news website Bas News reports.
“We defend Iraq’s territorial integrity more than anyone. Nobody can doubt Turkey’s good intentions. Similarly, Turkey’s counterterrorism is an act of principle which cannot be questioned," Bas News quoted Davutoglu as saying.
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter has asked for more assistance from Turkey to help destroy the IS group, Turkish news website Daily Sabah reports.
"Turkey has an enormous role to play," Carter said, according to Daily Sabah.
"We appreciate what they're doing. We want them to do more."
Carter said he wanted Turkish forces to join "in the air and the ground as appropriate...The single most important contribution that their geography makes necessary is the control of their own border."
Carter is visiting Turkey's Incirlik air base this morning -- the launching point for air strikes against IS -- at the start of a tour of the Middle East that aims to boost regional support for the U.S.-led campaign against the extremist group.
The U.S. Department of Defense has tweeted this image of U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and his wife arriving in Turkey this morning for a visit to troops and their families.
From our news desk:
Saudi Arabia Announces 34-State Military Coalition To Fight Terrorism
Saudi Arabia on December 15 announced the formation of a 34-member Islamic military alliance to combat terrorism.
"The countries here mentioned have decided on the formation of a military alliance led by Saudi Arabia to fight terrorism, with a joint operations center based in Riyadh to coordinate and support military operations," a joint statement published by the state news agency SPA said.
The listed alliance members include Arab countries such Egypt, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, together with Islamic countries Turkey, Malaysia, and Pakistan. Other Gulf Arab and African states were also mentioned in the list.
"The appropriate arrangements shall be developed for coordination with friendly peace-loving nations and international bodies for the sake of supporting international efforts to combat terrorism and to save international peace and security," the statement said.
The announcement cited "a duty to protect the Islamic nation from the evils of all terrorist groups and organizations whatever their sect and name which wreak death and corruption on Earth and aim to terrorize the innocent."
Sunni Saudi Arabia’s regional rival, Shi'ite Muslim Iran, was not listed as a member of the new alliance. The two countries have been locked in proxy conflicts from Syria to Yemen.
The United States has called on Gulf Arab states to step up their efforts to fight Islamic State (IS) militants that control areas of Iraq and Syria.
U.S. President Barack Obama on December 14 said he has tasked Defense Secretary Ash Carter with traveling to the Middle East to secure greater military contributions from other countries in the U.S.-led coalition that is fighting IS forces.
Saudi Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman told reporters in a rare press conference on December 15 that the newly announced campaign would "coordinate" counterterrorism efforts in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Egypt, and Afghanistan, though he provided few concrete details.
"We will fight every terrorist organization, not only the Islamic State," bin Salman said at the press conference, which was broadcast by Saudi television.
He added that each member country will participate in the alliance according to its capabilities.
"There will be international coordination with major powers and international organizations...in terms of operations in Syria and Iraq. We can't undertake these operations without coordinating with legitimacy in this place and the international community," bin Salman said.
IS militants have vowed to overthrow the Gulf Arab monarchies and have attacked Shi'ite Muslim mosques and security personnel in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
Russia's FSB has estimated that around 3,000 Russians are fighting alongside the IS group, BBC Russian reports.