Global military spending rose in 2015 to nearly €1.5trn, the first increase in several years, driven by conflicts including the battle against Islamic State (IS), the Saudi-led war in Yemen, and fears about Iran.

Syria imported nearly six times more weapons from 2007-2011 than in the previous five-year period, with Russia accounting for 72% of the arms supplies to President Bashar Assad’s regime, an international research institute said today.