Military Source: Army Forces Preparing to Start Aleppo War in East

The Syrian army’s military operations is about to start as the terrorist groups are still blocking the exit of their own militants and civilians from the Eastern districts of Aleppo city, the Arabic-language media quoted an informed military source as saying.

The source reiterated that the Syrian army’s main objective is to open a new operation front towards the terrorist-controlled areas in Eastern Aleppo city, and said that the Syrian army is planning to keep the civilians away from the battle zones in Eastern Aleppo in case the clashes are extended to those districts.

“In the new front, the Syrian army will have access to Davar al-Jandoul in the Northwestern flank, al-Barij, Masaken Hanano and al-Arqoub regions in the Eastern flank and Bostan Pasha region in the Northeast as well as Soleiman al-Halabi, Sheikh al-Saeed, al-Marja and Karam Al-Bari regions,” the source added.

The source went on to say that the military operations against the terrorists in the countryside of Homs, Hama and Idlib will considerably lessen the pressure on the warfronts in Aleppo.

He also said that the Syrian army is due to pound the terrorists’ positions with artillery shells in Hanano in Northeastern Aleppo and the surrounding areas of old Aleppo as well as those areas in Bostan Pasha that are still under the militants’ control to begin its military operations in the Eastern parts of Aleppo city.

Meantime, another military source said that the Syrian army’s artillery fires mean that it has prepared itself for starting military operations in the Eastern part of Aleppo city.

The source added that the terrorists who are stationed in Eastern Aleppo city have laid bombs in roads linking the residential areas to each other.

Army sources disclosed on Wednesday that pro-government troops are making final coordination for a massive offensive on Jeish al-Fatah terrorists in the Eastern parts of Aleppo city.

“As the army’s 24-hour ultimatum to the terrorists to leave the city came to an end and as relative calm has prevailed over the Western and Southwestern parts of Aleppo, the army, the Lebanese Hezbollah fighters and special forces are getting ready to start attacking militants’ defense line from several Eastern and Southern flanks,” an army officer said.

Meantime, he appreciated the Russian help, saying, “The Russian air and naval back up will speed up the Syrian army’s advances in the operation.”

“Government forces are about to start their operation against the terrorists in Aleppo any moment,” he added.

Local sources disclosed earlier on Wednesday that civilians in the Eastern districts of Aleppo city took to the streets to oppose Jeish al-Fatah’s rule in the city, calling on the militants to leave Aleppo immediately.

“Unprecedented clashes between people and terrorists have pushed the Eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo city into a new wave of tensions,” sources said, adding, “People have taken part in demonstrations across the districts of Bostan al-Qasr and al-Kelaseh, calling on the terrorists to leave the city now.”

“People have also attacked terrorists’ food stuff warehouses, fighting with the militants for looting their food stuff from their neighborhoods,” the sources added.

The sources went on to say that terrorists have arrested a number of demonstrators, hitting them badly.

Civilians in militant-held districts of Aleppo are tired of terrorist groups’ measures, including suppression of people and banning food and medicine for the families who prevent their young sons from joining the terrorist groups.

Meantime, Tens of fighter jets launched airstrikes on terrorists’ positions in Aleppo on Tuesday to herald the long-awaited ground operations to capture the Eastern parts of the city.

Tens of warplanes started massive air assaults on enemy targets in the Eastern parts of Aleppo on Tuesday after three weeks of lull and as Russia’s Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier launched combat operations in Syria, the Arabic-language al-Mayadeen news channel reported.

The airstrikes started after several humanitarian pauses declared by the Syrian army and Russia to give a chance to the civilian population as well as the militants to leave the Eastern parts of the city through 8 corridors. Thousands of civilians left the city in the first few days, but militants blocked their exist paths, threatening to kill anyone who dares to approach the passages opened by the army. The terrorists aim to use the civilian population as a human shield.

The last such pause was declared on Monday when the army gave a 24-hour lone ultimatum to the Jeish al-Fatah coalition of terrorist groups to leave the flash point city. The deadline was not met by the militants, though.

Defense experts believe that the blitzkrieg is the first part of the long-awaited army operations in Eastern Aleppo to take back the entire city. Aleppo is halved into the government-ruled West and militant-held East. The militants rejected a guaranteed exit to relocate to Idlib or other militant-ruled territories in the hope that over 30,000 fresh forces would penetrate the city through the Southwestern front to lift the army’s several-month-long siege on Eastern Aleppo.

Jeish al-Fatah lost thousands of militants in over two weeks of bloody war in Southern and Southwestern Aleppo, but failed to open a corridor for entrapped friends in the East.

The massive airstrikes in Aleppo come as Russia’s Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft-carrying cruiser began combat operations in Syria.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced earlier that Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich launched missiles on terrorist targets in Syria.

“Today, we started a major operation to launch massive strikes on ISIL and al-Nusra Front (also known as Fatah al-Sham Front) targets in the Idlib and Homs provinces in Syria,” Shoigu said at a meeting with the ministry’s leadership and defense enterprises.

“For the first time in history of Russian Navy, Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft-carrying cruiser has begun military operations,” Shoigu said.

Russian naval task force in Syria is reliably protected by Bastion Coastal Defense Missile Systems and Pantsir systems, the minister said.

Also, General Command of the Syrian Army announced earlier that the country’s soldiers and popular forced are about to hit Jeish al-Fatah’s positions in the Eastern districts of Aleppo from nine different flanks.

“Our forces, including very well trained units, are deployed in nine different fronts and are waiting for the specified deadline,” the command center said in a statement.

Other informed sources disclosed that the Syrian army has prepared a large number of forces, who are expert in street battle and are equipped with lethal weapons, ready to start final the battle with the terrorist groups.

The sources also added that these forces will be backed up by the missile and air support of the Syrian and Russian forces.