The foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, Turkey and Qatar couldmeet next week to address the recent escalation in Syria, where an Islamist-led rebel alliance seized territory from the control of President Bashar al-Assad's government in a lightning offensive.

Russia has termed the rebel assault as a 'direct violation of Syria's sovereignty', but hinted that it may intervene militarily. Meanwhile, the rebels continue to push forward as they assert control in Aleppo,

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed on Saturday the escalating situation in Syria with his counterparts from Iran and Turkey, according to the Russian state-run news agency TASS. According to the statement,

Russia has conducted major air strikes on rebels in Syria after insurgents led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group swept into Aleppo in what is the biggest challenge to its ally President Bashar al-Assad in years.

Turkey has called for negotiations between the warring sides following a successful offensive by Islamist rebels in Syria. The latest events show that the Syrian government must come to an agreement with the people and opposition forces,

Turkey will not permit "terrorist actions" against the civilian population in Syria, declared the Turkish Foreign Minister. Hakan Fidan spoke with the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken. The Turkish minister stated that Ankara is opposed to any actions that may further destabilize the situation in the region and would "never allow terrorist