= new reply since forum marked as read
Syrians living in rebel-held areas of Homs province have seen a lot of destruction in four years of war, but say the Russian air force unleashed a whole new level of devastation in airstrikes on their towns on Wednesday. "We have gotten used to two or three barrel bombs a day, but not this intensive bombing which has not happened before," Obeid said.
Jets flying at higher altitudes than the Syrian air force emitted no noise to alert the people below to raids reported to have killed at least 33 civilians, including children. "We have been exposed to a wide range of weapons over the last five years, but what happened today was absolutely the most violent and ferocious, and the most comprehensive in the northern Homs countryside," said a doctor in the town of Rastan, speaking from one of the areas targeted by the jets.
He and others on the ground had no way of knowing for sure the jets were Russian when they struck in the morning. But their altitude, the way they manoeuvred, and later reports that Russia had started airstrikes, with Rastan among the targets, left them in little doubt. Syrian state media said Russian airstrikes had been mounted on seven locations including Rastan.
The Homs region is of vital strategic importance to Assad's control of western Syria, linking the capital in Damascus to the coastal area including Latakia and Tartus, where Russia operates a naval facility.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/russian-airstrikes-unleash-new-devastation-in-syrian-region/536390.html
It looks like the Homs area is not under ISIS control but is strategically important to like Damascus to the coast and Russia's naval base.
http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/isis-gaining-ground-but-weve-stopped-their-momentum/syria-territory-map-20150110/
I guess it's only noteworthy on the left when the 'collateral damage' is directed from Washington 
