The Russian delegation to the United Nations said the Security Council refused to take a stand on the attack perpetrated against Kassab, thereby unveiling the support of several of its members for the actions of Al-Qaeda.

On 21 March, the Turkish army penetrated Syrian territory to introduce several hundred jihadists, affilitated to the Al-Nusra Front (Al-Qaeda) and the Army of Islam (pro-Saudi). They seized the town of Kassab, mainly populated by the Syro- Armenian descendents of the Turkish massacre survivors 1915. When the Syrian Arab army intervened to defend the city, the Turkish army downed one of its support aircraft. The people of Kassab fled under the protection of the Syrian government in Latakia .

Moreover, the Russian Foreign Ministry called on the representatives of the externally-based Syrian opposition who participated in the Geneva 2 Conference to refrain from any contact with terrorist groups.