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(Image: REUTERS)

Russia's defence minister said Russian warplanes have fired cruise missiles on militant positions in Syria's Idlib and Aleppo provinces.

Sergei Shoigu also told a briefing conducted for President Vladimir Putin today that bombers hit Islamic State positions in Raqqa and Der-ez-Zor.

Russia's airforce has carried out a huge 2,300 sorties in the last 48 hours, reports say.

Speaking during a security council meeting in Moscow chaired by the Russian president Vladimir Putin, defence minister Sergey Shoigu said: "We are conducting a mass airstrike campaign against Islamic State targets in Syria.

(Image: RUSSIAN MOD)

"We have now doubled the number of sorties, which is allowing us to conduct operations throughout the length and breadth of the country."

Putin also issued orders for Russia’s powerful Moskva cruiser, based at the Russian base in the Syrian port of Latakia to team up with the French navy's 26-fighter plane aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle which is being deployed in response to the Paris attack.

He said: “The French naval group, led by the air carrier, will soon reach your area of operations. We need to establish direct contact with it, and treat it as an ally.

“We need to develop of a joint action plan for both sea and air operations.”

(Image: RUSSIAN MOD) (Image: RUSSIAN MOD) (Image: REUTERS)

Shoigu said the cruise missiles that hit the Aleppo and Idlib positions were fired from Tu-160 – nicknamed Blackjack by NATO – and the giant Soviet era Tu-95 long-range bomber.

It is believed the increase in missions comes after Russia announced the Metrojet from Sharm el-Sheikh was brought down by terrorists.

A total of 229 people lost their lives in the crash.

Russia has offered a £33million reward has been offered for information leading to the capture of those who bombed the plane.

The news comes as the RAF hit a group of around 30 ISIS fighters attacking Kurdish forces in northern Iraq earlier today.

UK Secretary of State for Defence Michael Fallon today praised the RAF for their efforts in hitting ISIS targets

He said: "Every day RAF aircraft are hitting [ISIS] where it hurts.

"Last weekend they played a crucial role in helping Kurdish forces seize control of Sinjar – where ISIS has brutally massacred thousands of innocent civilians."