Russian bombers carrying out operations over Syria will be escorted by fighter jets from now on, Russian defence official Lt-Gen Sergey Rudskoy has said.
Rudskoy announced a series of measures that Russia says it will be taking in the wake of the downing by Turkey yesterday of a Russian Su-24 jet.
These include the despatch of S-300 anti-aircraft systems to Latakia province in Syria as well as the deployment of the Moskva missile cruiser off the Syrian coast.
"We are warning that all targets that represent a potential danger for us will be destroyed," Rudskoy said. "Thirdly, contacts with Turkey in the military sphere will be severed."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is comment shortly on yesterday's Su-24 downing by Turkey, Russian media are reporting.
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has commented on the downing of the Russian Su-24 jet by Turkey.
Russia's Life News, which has links to the country's intelligence services, is claiming that the navigator from the downed Russian Su-24 was found in a forested border area in Latakia using data from radio beacons.
A group of 18 Russian special forces and six fighters from an "elite unit" in the Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah were involved in the rescue operation, according to Life News.
The navigator spent almost 24 hours hiding in a thicket after parachuting six kilometers inland, the report claimed.
The New York Times has published some interesting graphics that compare the conflicting claims by Turkey and Russia over what flight path the downed Su-24 took before it was shot down.
Turkey says that the Su-24 had violated its air space. Russia argues that the jet never entered Turkish air space but remained in Syria.
The graphics show the different flight paths that Russia and Turkey claim the jet took. Turkey's claims show the plane entering Turkish air space while the flight path supplied by Russia show the jet avoiding the Turkish border.
Iran's Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, has told his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov that the downing of the Russian Su -24 jet could lead to an escalation of the Syrian crisis, Iranian news websites are reporting.
Zarif spoke to Lavrov by telephone yesterday evening, November 24, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said this morning.
The Iranian Foreign Minister said the Su-24 incident had "sent the wrong signal to terrorists."
Iran, like Russia, is a major ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his government.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is speaking now about the Su-24 incident.
Lavrov says that the Turkish Foreign Ministry tried to justify the actions of the Turkish air force by talking about a border violation.
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov: "The incident with the Russian Su-24 looks like a planned provocation."
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov is making some very harsh statements.
Lavrov is quoted by RIA Novosti as saying, "The head of the Turkish Foreign Ministry could not answer the question of whether Ankara agreed the actions against the Russian Su-24 with the U.S."
"Moscow has raised big questions as to whether the emergency hotline was not activated by Turkey either before or after the incident with the Su-24," says Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov.