Agencies, Dubai :Bomb shelter of family in Homs’ countryside hit by apparent Russian rocket, killing 48 family members, activists say.A suspected Russian air strike on a home in the countryside near the central city of Homs has killed 48 people from a single family, Syrian activists said. The bomb shelter where the family was hiding was hit by a rocket in the western city of Homs, activists told Al Jazeera on Sunday.Moscow has been launching air strikes in the area in addition to various other regions of the country.In a statement on Saturday, the Russian military said its air force made 36 sorties, hitting 49 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group targets in Syria in the last 24 hours.The targets were hit in Hama, Idlib, Latakia, Damascus, and Aleppo regions, the statement said.In another development on Saturday, Syrian government forces edged forward in the northern province of Aleppo with air cover from Russian warplanes, but faced fierce resistance from rebel forces in the country’s centre.Since Moscow began its air campaign in support of its Damascus ally on September 30, the army and its allies have launched four ground offensives against rebel forces in northern and central Syria.The assaults were part of the latest push forward in the conflict that has killed more than 250,000 people, according to rights groups.Syrian troops have gone on the attack in Aleppo, Hama, Homs and Latakia provinces, taking advantage of Russian air strikes against al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate, and other rebel groups.Control of Aleppo city – Syria’s prewar economic hub – has been divided since mid-2012, with government forces controlling the western part of the city while much of the surrounding province is held by rebel groups, ranging from Nusra and others in the west to ISIL in the east.Meanwhile, Russia has fired cruise missiles at targets in Syria in a major display of military power, with warships in the Caspian Sea more than 1,200km away carrying out the attacks.Russia says it is targeting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group, but at least some of its air strikes have reportedly hit Western-backed armed groups.This is the first news of Russia using its navy in its Syria campaign since it began building up its military forces in Syria.Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s defence minister, said on Thursday the navy hit 11 targets in Syria from with missiles fired from ships in the Caspian Sea.According to state news agency RIA Novosti, Shoigu told Russian President Vladimir Putin all of the targets, which included areas under ISIL control, were destroyed without any civilian casualties reported.Four ships in Russia’s Caspian fleet fired a total of 26 cruise missiles at the targets, the report said, adding tha