MOSCOW, January 12. /TASS/. Provocations by militants from the Jabhat al-Nusra terror group (outlawed in Russia) in Syria have intensified during the first days of 2018, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters at a press briefing on Friday.

"Provocations by Jabhat al-Nusra militants and radical units of the illegal armed groups in Syria have intensified substantially in the first days of 2018," she said. "In particular, attacks on the Russian military’s deployment sites took place."

According to Zakharova, US Acting Assistant Secretary of State for the Near East affairs David Satterfield "could really tell a lot of interesting things about the United States’ role in supporting this group [Jabhat al-Nusra]."

Satterfield earlier said at a hearing at the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations that the US has no intention of recognizing the Syrian National Dialogue Congress to be held in Sochi as legitimate.