Syrian Army, Hezbollah prepare for end of year offensive in Aleppo

The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and their allies are preparing for a large-scale offensive in the Aleppo Governorate to end 2017, a military source in the province told Al-Masdar News on Monday evening.

According to the source, the Syrian Army and their allies from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Hezbollah are making their final preparations for a dual offensive in the southern and western countrysides of the Aleppo Governorate.

In particular, the Syrian Army and their allies will concentrate on the Al-Zahra’a Association Quarter, Layramoun, and Kafr Hamra areas of west Aleppo, while another group will target Al-Rashiddeen, Khan Touman, and Tal Al-‘Eis in the southern countryside of thee province.

Similar to their operations late last year, the Syrian Army and and their allies will rely heavily on aerial assistance from the Russian and Syrian air forces, as this terrain is relatively difficult to navigate through.

Iranian military advisers have already arrived in southern Aleppo to oversee the operations; they were pictured last week inspecting the forces in the area.

The Syrian Army’s upcoming offensive is expected to kick off in the coming weeks as they finalize their contingency withtheir military advisers.