White House: 'deep concerns' about Russian military aircraft in Syria

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) - The White House said on Wednesday that it has "deep concerns" about reports that Russia may have deployed military personnel and aircraft to Syria, and is closely monitoring the situation. "Our bottom line is that we would welcome constructive Russian contributions to the counter-ISIL effort, but we've been clear that it would be unconscionable for any party, including the Russians, to provide any support to the Assad regime," White House spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters. The White House has launched a review of options to help respond to the flood of Syrians fleeing the war-torn country, and Obama believes the United States has a moral responsibility to help address the refugee crisis, Schultz said. (Reporting by Julia Edwards; Writing by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Lisa Lambert)