U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in a Sept. 4 telephone conversation, that reported Russian military activity to support the Assad government in Syria against ISIS could lead to a "confrontation." According to the State Department read-out,



"The secretary made clear that if such reports were accurate, these actions could further escalate the conflict, lead to greater loss of innocent life, increase refugee flows and risk confrontation with the anti-ISIL Coalition operating in Syria."

The London Telegraph takes note of the fact that President Obama met with King Salman of Saudi Arabia in Washington on Sept. 3, and a central topic of discussion was the Syria situation. The two British toadies met, the Telegraph reported, "to repeat their demand that any lasting settlement in Syria would require an end to the Assad regime. It leaves the U.S. and Russia implacably opposed in their visions for Syria."