What is the difference between ISIS and "rebels"?
Quite a lot actually. You're an intelligent man (your posts on Metrojet were invaluable), so you work it out. Here's some differences for starters.
One group plants bombs on Russian planes, the other doesn't.
One group launches attacks in Paris, Beirut, Ankara and other places, the other doesn't.
One lot were in cahoots with Assad (he let them into the Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus) and the others aren't.
And one group fights the other -- quite a large difference that.
Do you wish to deny any of the above?
Also, I repeat,
So what was today's plane doing so close to the Turkish border in Latakia? It wasn't bombing ISIS, it was attacking people who are fighting ISIS. Why? Turkey has complained of svereal violations of their airspace during the bombing campaign. What would Russia do if a Turkish plane flew into Russian airspace following a series of other airspace violations?