Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, in comments mocking Russia's "unprofessional" military for the way it is conducting airstrikes against ISIS, predicted that Russia would face "reprisal" terror attacks on Russian soil because of their military action.

Earlier this week a group of Saudi clerics issued a joint statement urging jihad against Russia for its support for the Assad government, and increasingly the narrative around the Gulf states is that Russia is taking sides with the Shi'ites against the Sunnis in general because of their Syria policy.