The Syrian army announced a large-scale offensive with a goal to retake several key cities and regions from terrorist forces after a week-long bombing campaign by Russia aimed at crippling the jihadists.

The government forces “have been keeping the initiative for several years,” General Ali Abdullah Ayyoub, the head of the Syrian general staff, said announcing the offensive. The offensive was made possible by the effort put by Russia into supporting the Syrian government militarily, Ayyoub said.

(RT)