The Iranian military command appreciates the effectiveness of Russia's anti-terrorist operations in Syria, the deputy chairman of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces said on Friday.
Russia has been conducting airstrikes against terrorist positions in Syria at the request of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since September 30, Sputnik reported.
"There is evidence that the Russian military operations against terrorists in Syria, against Islamic State militants in particular, is efficient, effective and successful," Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri added. He also noted that Iran considers the Russian operations "appropriate and necessary."
"By not starting the fight against terrorism today, Russia would have risked a terrorist threat tomorrow," he said.
Jazayeri doubted that the actions of France, which has intensified airstrikes on IS positions in Syria since the IS-claimed terrorist attacks in Paris last week, could help fight terrorism.
"We have no confidence that France is serious about the fight against terrorism, particularly for fighting the Islamic State," he said.
On Monday, following the deadly attacks in Paris, French President Francois Hollande called for a broad coalition, including the US and Russia, to combat IS.
