Special to WorldTribune.com

Russia’s air strikes against anti-Assad regime rebels may have united Syrian rebel factions in a way the hesitant Obama administration never could.

A group of 41 Syrian rebel factions, in a joint statement, condemned Moscow’s attacks on rebel targets and vowed to take the fight to the Russian “occupiers.”

Backed by Russian air support, thousands of Iran-backed ground forces have also been deployed in western Syrian strongholds with orders to fight advancing rebel forces.

Critics say the Obama administration’s hesitation in Syria enabled Russia and Iran to move in, prop up their ally Assad, and advance their own interests in the region.

Moscow continues to insist its main targets in Syria have been Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) and Al Qaida-aligned Nusra Front. But intelligence assessments from several sources say Russian strikes have also targeted rebels seeking to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad, including U.S.-backed factions.

In the joint statement, the 41 rebel groups – including the powerful Ahrar al-Sham – called for the formation of a new “regional alliance” against the “Russian-Iranian occupation” of Syria.

“The Russian military aggression on Syria is considered a blatant occupation of the country even if some claim it was done with the official request of the Assad regime. Those who lost legitimacy can’t offer it,” the statement said.

“All Syrian armed revolutionary factions must realize we are in a war to push an aggressor, a war that makes unifying ranks and word a duty on all brothers. Any occupation force to our beloved country is a legitimate target.”

The Associated Press reported that Syria’s Muslim Brotherhood called for a “jihad” against Russia.

Omar Mushawah, the Brotherhood’s chief spokesman, said “we as Muslim Brotherhood group confirm that we are witnessing a sheer and clear Russian occupation,” adding that “resisting the occupier is a legitimate duty.”

  Ahrar Al Sham, Bashar Assad, ISIL, Muslim Brotherhood, Nusra Front, Russian incursion could succeed where West failed: Uniting Syrian rebels, WorldTribune.com