Syrian regime forces, backed by key ally Russia, are mobilizing troops to launch a major offensive on the provinces of Hama and Homs, seeking to fortify the predominantly Alawite Ghab plain, a military source told Zaman Al Wasl on Monday.
The source said the regime army and allied troops from Hezbollah, Iran and Russia are preparing to launch a decisive ground attack to liberate the countryside of Hama and Homs provinces from rebels.
The strategic Ghab plain remains Russia's key target to protect what may become of a de facto Russian territory, activists claim, in reference to the coastal region, President Bashar al-Assad's historical heartland.
