World cannot afford to ignore the dire straits in the Middle East

The Russian decision to deploy bombers and fighter aircraft from its base in Iran to strike at Syrian rebels has added another knot to the tangled conflicts that afflict the region.

Moscow revealed last week that Russian Su-34 warplanes took off from an airbase in Iran's western Hamadan region, closer to Islamic State targets than its base in northern Syria, to launch its strikes. Of course, whether the Russian attacks were aimed at Islamic State (IS) guerillas, or at other "moderate" rebels opposed to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, remains a moot point. The US State Department seems convinced that the Russian bombing campaign is indiscriminate against all those arrayed against Mr Assad.

While that debate continues, for the 18 million people who still live in Syria - down from the pre-war population of 24 million - the conditions are dire. Some 250,000 people have been killed since the civil war flared up between its majority Sunni population and the Shia-dominated government in Damascus in 2009. Six million have fled the country. All its major cities have been devastated. The United Nations warns 13 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian aid.