U.S. President Barack Obama says a ground offensive in Syria is "not going to work."
He told reporters Friday that even though the Russians have come in and Iran is sending in more people, "it's also not going to work because they are trying to support a regime that in the eyes of the overwhelming majority of the Syrian people is not legitimate."
His comments came as the U.S. and Russia reached an agreement in principle to avoid each other's aircraft as both countries conduct air campaigns in Syria. Obama said that was the only issue the two countries agreed on since Russia began its contentious military campaign at the end of September.
There has been "no meeting of the minds in terms of strategy," he said.
Syrian troops on Friday morning began a military offensive in the province of Aleppo, the latest campaign to regain territory amid ongoing conflicts with both Islamic State (IS) militants and government opposition groups.