Britain's defence minister on Sunday said the government was intensively lobbying opposition Labour lawmakers to support airstrikes in Syria as efforts mount to force a vote next week.

Michael Fallon told BBC's Andrew Marr Show that "we've been talking to Labour MPs all week" but that the government had "not yet" secured enough support to be sure of winning a vote to extend airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Syria.

Prime Minister David Cameron suffered a humiliating defeat in 2013 when opposition from Labour MPs blocked military action against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and is expected to call a vote only when he is sure of winning.

Another defeat would be "hugely damaging to Britain's reputation across the world" and would "leave us less safe", said Fallon.

The defence secretary said fears that airstrikes would lead to civilian deaths were unfounded.

"The RAF have been striking with the permission of parliament in Iraq for over a year now and our estimate is there hasn't yet been a single civilian casualty because of the precision of their strikes," he said.

"They have been carefully targeted at Isil command posts, Isil supplies, Isil supply routes," he said, using one of the acronyms for Islamic State.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is opposed to the strikes and could whip his MPs into voting against them, despite many in the shadow cabinet expressing support for the government's plans.

Corbyn told the Andrew Marr Show on Sunday that he would ultimately decide whether MPs were allowed a free vote, putting him on a collision course with senior parliamentarians and potentially throwing the government's plans into disarray.

Prime Minister David Cameron is reported to be ready to drop the vote if Corbyn imposes his line on Labour lawmakers.

Labour leaders are set to meet on Monday, where they are set to decide whether it will be a free vote.

"No decision has been made on that yet, I am going to find out what MPs think," Corbyn said. "I ask them to look very, very carefully at the whole issue, look at what will happen if we bomb Raqqa.

"It is the leader who decides. I will make up my mind in due course."

Corbyn on Sunday highlighted the support he had from grassroot members, who helped propel him to a shock victory in September's race for the party leadership, insisting that their "voice" must be heard.

He also dismissed intelligence advice that IS was using safe space in Syria to hatch terror attacks against Britain, saying that "those attacks could be planned anywhere".

Germany planning to deploy 1,200 troops for IS fight: army chief
Berlin (AFP) Nov 29, 2015 - Germany is planning to deploy 1,200 troops to help France in the fight against Islamic State jihadists in Syria, its army chief said Sunday, in what would be the military's biggest deployment abroad.

"From a military point of view, around 1,200 soldiers would be necessary to run the planes and ship," army chief of staff General Volker Wieker told Bild am Sonntag newspaper, adding that the mission would begin "very quickly once a mandate is obtained".

"The government is seeking a mandate this year," said Wieker.

Berlin on Thursday offered France Tornado reconnaissance jets, a naval frigate, aerial refuelling and satellite images in the fight against the IS group.

Between four and six Tornados would be deployed to deliver images of the ground, even in poor weather and during the night, Wieker said.

Asked why Germany had shied away from participating in direct air strikes, Wieker said the coalition already had "sufficient forces and means" dealing with that aspect of the battle.

"What is needed is reconnaissance on the ground, so that these forces can be deployed effectively. Our Tornados can contribute a lot in that area," he said.

Talks are ongoing with Turkey and Jordan on stationing the planes in Incirlik -- which also serves as a base for US jets, as well as in Amman.

Wieker swiped aside any criticism that Germany had opted for "the least dangerous" tasks, saying: "This allegation is not justified. What is the difference when you fly a bomber jet or a reconnaisance plane over the same area? The levels of threat and danger are the same."

Post-war Germany has been traditionally reluctant to send troops abroad, although it has joined UN-mandated missions in the Balkans and elsewhere, and the NATO coalition in Afghanistan.

Germany has not taken part in air strikes against the IS in Syria and Iraq, which have been mainly flown by US and French aircraft.

After France last week invoked a clause requiring EU member states to provide military assistance after the Paris attacks, Germany swiftly announced its participation in the fight in Syria.

Russia plane entered Israel control zone from Syria: minister
Jerusalem (AFP) Nov 29, 2015 - A Russian warplane recently entered Israeli-controlled airspace from Syria but the intrusion was resolved without incident, Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon said on Sunday.

Yaalon's comments come amid deep concern over the downing of a Russian warplane by Turkey, which claims it strayed over the Syrian border into its airspace and ignored repeated warnings to change course. Moscow denies the allegations.

"There was a slight intrusion a mile (1.6 kilometres) deep by a Russian plane from Syria into our airspace, but it was immediately resolved and the Russian plane returned towards Syria," Yaalon told public radio.

"It was apparently an error by the pilot who was flying near the Golan."

Israel seized most of the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 and later annexed the territory in a move never recognised by the international community.

Yaalon recalled that Israel and Russia had made arrangements to avoid clashes over Syria, with the agreement said to include a "hotline" and information sharing.

He said "Russian planes do not intend to attack us, which is why we must not automatically react and shoot them down when an error occurs."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks in Moscow in September to discuss ways of avoiding accidental clashes.

Russia launched a bombing campaign in Syria on September 30 at the request of its longstanding ally Bashar al-Assad that Moscow says is targeting Islamic State jihadists and other "terrorist" groups.

Israel has reportedly launched more than a dozen air strikes in Syria since 2013, mainly targeting alleged arms transfers to Hezbollah, and Israeli officials were believed to have feared that Russia's intervention could limit their room for manoeuvre.

Israel opposes Assad, but has sought to avoid being dragged into the war.

It also fears that Iran could increase its support for Hezbollah and other militant groups as international sanctions are gradually lifted under a July nuclear deal that Moscow helped negotiate between Tehran and world powers.

In September 2014, Israel downed a Russian-made Syrian warplane over the Golan Heights in the first such incident in three decades and warned it would respond "forcefully" if its security was threatened.