At least 36 people were killed and dozens injured in more than 70 airstrikes by Russian and Syrian jets on the Islamic State-controlled Deir Ezzor province on Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group told AFP. The offensive was described as the heaviest in the region since the start of the war. Russia bombed the area in Syria after President Vladimir Putin had promised retribution for the IS bombing a Russian airliner in Egypt last month.

United Nations, through its member states, also backed a motion calling for action against Islamic State a week after the Paris attacks. In one of the worst gun and bombing cases on French soil, the jihadist group killed 129 people last week. Several parts of Syria have been ravaged (pictured above) as different groups, including foreign powers, have increased their military involvement in the ongoing civil war.