Russia has described as “really flawed” the legal basis for the airstrikes by the US-led coalition allegedly targeting Daesh Takfiri militants.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made the comments in New York on Thursday on the sidelines of the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly.

"We have many questions as regards the explanations of their (the US-led coalition's) activities and their strikes on Syrian territory," Lavrov said, adding,  

The Russian foreign minister said the US-led coalition members cite "the right of preventive self-defense in accordance with article 51 of the [UN] Charter" and allege that the people targeted with airstrikes are planning terrorist attacks on their territory but there is "no proof, no nothing" for the claims.

"And I think you cannot avoid the impression that the legal basis of the coalition activities in Syria is really flawed," Lavrov said.

The US and its allies including some Persian Gulf Arab kingdoms, which are widely accused of supporting militants in Syria since 2011, have been involved in airstrikes against alleged positions of Daesh in Syria without authorization from the Syrian government. The attacks have caused civilian deaths and destruction of Syrian infrastructure.

The so-called US-led coalition has also been engaged in similar operations against Daesh terrorists in neighboring Iraq, but they have been assessed by Iraqi authorities as largely ineffective since they have not resulted in eliminating the terror threat in the parts of the country where the Takfiri militants are present.

No US-Russia cooperation on Syria

Russia cannot join the coalition as it has been set up without a mandate issued by the UN Security Council or a request from the government in Damascus, Lavrov said.

He also said the decision to start aerial operation in Syria had been made in response to a request by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, highlighting the contrast of the mission with the one being undertaken by the US-led coalition in its legitimacy.

“I don't understand why…fighting terrorism requires no cooperation with this regime." 

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Barack Obama perfectly understand one another, he said, noting this understanding, however, is not leading to cooperation on Syria.

‘Pentagon the troublemaker, not us’

The top Russian diplomat reacted to remarks made by US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, who had accused Moscow of adding fuel to the fire by launching airstrikes on Daesh in Syria on September 30.

"We are aware of many points of tensions where fuel was added to the fire, and it was Pentagon who added this fuel in the entire region," he said. "This is unprofessional."

Russian airstrikes

Elsewhere in his remarks, the top Russian diplomat addressed the issue of the airstrikes, apparently reacting to media reports alleging that the attacks had led to civilian casualties.

He said Moscow is striking targets belonging to the Takfiri terrorist group and the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front.

"We have always stated that we will be fighting against ISIL and other terrorist groupings," Lavrov said, using an English acronym for Daesh.

He rejected the idea that the Russian forces were supporting one of the parties to the conflict, saying, "The task pursued by our armed forces is to fight terrorists. We are not supporting the sides who are fighting their own people," he told a press conference.

The official also said Moscow was not planning airstrikes in Iraq. Earlier, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s had told France 24 television that Baghdad would welcome any such military measures by Moscow on its soil.

Lavrov, however, said, “We respond to Kurdish requests for arms and do it with ... through informing the government in Baghdad."