Syrian Army Preparing for Major Assaults on ISIL in Aleppo, Homs Provinces

The source said that liberation of Eastern Homs from areas near the T4 airbase to the gas and oil fields and the city of Palmyra (Tadmur) is important for the army. Then the regions East of Aleppo province stretched from the town of Deir Hafer to the city of Raqqa will come under focus.

The source further added that North of Kuweires airbase in Eastern Aleppo towards the towns of Tadif, al-Bab and then the Eastern territories of Hama province can be the next targets of the army soldiers in their anti-ISIL operation.

“More likely, the next operation of the army will be East Aleppo province,” the source said, adding, “A large number of fresh fighters of the government forces and a large volume of equipment have arrived in this region.”

“In the meantime, a large number of army’s fresh soldiers and more equipment have also been sent to Eastern Homs,” the source went on to say.

“The next battles of the army against ISIL will be conducted with the back up of the Russian fighter jets and the Syrian army’s Special Forces,” the source pointed out.

Syrian President Bashar Assad said on Friday that the liberation of Aleppo was “a key part of the whole anti-terrorist operation in Syria.

During the week, Assad met with members of Russia’s Federation Council and members of the European Parliament (MEPs), Tass reported.

Konstantin Kosachev, head of the Federation Council’s International Affairs Committee, told Russian journalists on Friday about the results of the visit to Damascus.

The lawmaker told TASS that the Syrian leadership thought that the success in Aleppo “has become a turning point which would allow dramatically changing the situation in the country and firmly moving toward achieving complete victory over terrorism and launching a political process.”

“Our trip to Syria and talks with Bashar Assad coincided with ceasefire declared on the whole territory as a result of an agreement with Turkey and Iran,” Kosachev said.

He added that Assad thought that the agreement on ceasefire lays a long-term basis for stabilizing the situation in the country.

“From the point of view of the Syrian leader, this powerful construction allows to bring all participants in this process to those positions that are now associated with Russia’s approaches, i.e. focus attention on countering terrorism and avoiding interference into domestic affairs of Syria,” Kosachev stressed.