Syria army in 'vast offensive' backed by Russian strikes
Government troops backed by Lebanon's Hezbollah and Russian air raids advanced yesterday in western Syria in a "vast offensive" against rebels, as Nato voiced alarm at Moscow's escalating military activity in the country.
Russia has dramatically stepped up its nine-day-old air war against foes of President Bashar al-Assad, with heavy bombing by warplanes and cruise missile strikes from the Caspian Sea.
A Syrian military source told the AFP that the army, backed by Russian raids and allied militia including the Hezbollah, had advanced in a key mountain range.
"They have seized most of the hilly region of Jeb al-Ahmar" which overlooks the strategic Sahl al-Ghab plain to the east and Assad's coastal stronghold of Latakia to the west, the source said.
The plain has been the focus of a months-long offensive by a rebel alliance including Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, Al-Nusra Front.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group, confirmed that regime forces had advanced in the area.
In Moscow, the defence ministry said Russia's air force hit 27 "terrorist" targets in central and northern Syria on Wednesday night.
The ministry in a statement said it had destroyed eight Islamic State strongholds near populated areas in Homs province, and hit 11 training camps linked to the group in Hama and Raqa provinces.
US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter, however, forecast yesterday that Russia would soon begin to suffer casualties of its own.
"In coming days, the Russians will begin to suffer from casualties," Carter said at a Nato defence ministers meeting in Brussels.
The Russian air war has provided cover for Assad's ground troops.
The army appeared to regain ground yesterday, after its chief of staff General Ali Abdullah Ayoub announced "a vast offensive to defeat the terrorist groups" and restore control over opposition-held areas.
Syrian state TV reported that the army had targeted "terrorist positions" in the central province of Hama, killing 32 militants and destroying four armoured vehicles.
Backed by allied militia and Russian air cover, regime troops have retaken around a dozen villages in Hama province, according to the Syrian daily Al-Watan, which is close to the government.
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