SYRIAN government forces launched a major ground offensive against terrorist fighters yesterday, backed by Russian air and sea power.

Troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad went into action in the western provinces of Idlib and Hama, where Russian jets have been pounding militants for a week.

Four Russian warships cruising 900 miles away in the Caspian Sea launched 26 cruise missiles across Iran and Iraq to strike at Islamic State (Isis) targets.

The Russian Defence Ministry said it had co-ordinated the launches with its partners to ensure the missiles flew over unpopulated areas.

The Nato powers and their allies sent mixed messages in response to the new push against Isis.

French President Francois Hollande sought to scotch comments by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that he had suggested an alliance between the Syrian armed forces and the “moderate” rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) last week.

In a speech to the European Parliament, Mr Hollande said: “It will not be possible to reunite the opposition with the executioner of the Syrian people.”

But former FSA representative and National Salvation Front co-ordinator Fahad Masri welcomed Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s offer of ceasefire negotiations, made on Monday.

Mr Masri added that FSA has been ready for dialogue with Moscow since the start of the civil war.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was on bellicose form, vowing that his country would not “make any concessions” following two accidental Russian incursions into its airspace and accusing Moscow of targeting the “Syrian opposition” to the benefit of Isis.

But Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said earlier that Ankara had proposed a meeting between the two countries to avoid further confrontations.

US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter insisted that the Pentagon had no agreement to co-operate with the Kremlin in its fight against Isis.

He said the US would hold basic, technical talks with Russia about efforts to ensure that flights over Syria are conducted safely and “that’s it.”

But in Iraq, parliamentary defence committee chairman Hakim al-Zamili said Baghdad may soon request Russian air strikes against Isis on its soil.

“We are seeking to see Russia having a bigger role in Iraq … definitely a bigger role than the Americans,” he said.