MOSCOW, December 2. /TASS/. Moscow maintains close communication with Iran and Turkey on the situation in Syria and does not rule out a trilateral meeting with the respective partners on a settlement in that country, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko has told the media.

"We now have close, regular real-time communication with all main actors, including Iran and Turkey. I can't rule out anything. Such a meeting may not necessarily take place in Russia, please keep this in mind," Rudenko said, commenting on the prospects for trilateral meetings on a settlement in Syria.

On the morning of November 27, the extremist group Jabhat al-Nusra (banned in Russia) carried out a large-scale attack in northern Syria. According to the Syrian Armed Forces’ Command, the terrorists tried to attack villages and towns defended by the Syrian army and military facilities, and continued to assault the positions of government forces. The Syrian Army launched an operation to repel the raid. On November 30, the Armed Forces’ Command stated that the army was targeting the positions of terrorists who had managed to penetrate many neighborhoods of Aleppo city and was awaiting reinforcements. According to the Defense Ministry's statement, the Syrian army was forced to regroup its forces to protect the lives of civilians and soldiers and prepare for a counterattack.