Putin gets OK to begin Russian airstrikes in Syria

The upper house of the Russian parliament has given President Vladimir Putin approval to use the Russian air force in Syria, according to state media. "The Federation Council unanimously supported the President's request -- 162 votes in favor of granting permission," Kremlin Chief of Staff Sergey Ivanov said, according to ITAR-Tass. The vote came after a request by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for military assistance in fighting ISIS, Ivanov said. Russian airstrikes in Syria could happen at any time, a U.S. official with knowledge of the latest intelligence told CNN this week. "They could start at any moment," the official said. "They are ready." After several days of Russian familiarization flights, there is no reason they could not begin, the official added. And Russian drones have been collecting potential targeting information in their flights. But the U.S. doesn't know what the Russians have in mind and when they will make a decision on airstrikes. Four Russian Su-34 Fullback fighter jets are now at the Latakia air base in Syria, and more than 600 Russian troops are in place. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told reporters Tuesday that Secretary of Defense Ash Carter directed his staff to "open lines of communication with Russia on de-confliction." The timing of these discussions is to be worked out in the coming days. The purpose of the discussions is "to ensure the safety of coalition air crews," he said. Cook added that the two nations have common ground when it comes to fighting ISIS, also known as ISIL, with Carter making clear that "the goal should be to take the fight to ISIL and not to defend the Assad regime."