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The Syrian army this Thursday launched a massive offensive against the Islamic State group in the province of Hama aimed at recovering all cities, towns and regions besieged by those the government calls terrorists, reported the joint chief of staff of Syria, Maj. Gen. Ali Abdulah Ayub.
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The military official explained that the huge offensive is possible now because of Russian airstrikes, which have “destroyed the military capabilities of the Islamic State,” according to RT.
Watch the first footage available of the Syrian military offensive against the Islamic State group.
The artillery attacks being carried out by the Syrian army are considered to be the most intense since the beginning of the armed conflict in 2011, which has left over 250,000 dead and more than 11 million people displaced, more than 3.5 million of those have been dispersed internationally.
Military officials said they intercepted a series of radio messages that suggest that the vast majority of militants under Syrian army attack are foreigners.
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"The military operation has been initiated with the support of intelligence data on the location of the terrorists. After defining the targets, the artillery launched intense attacks, after which ground forces will carry out their attack,” Syria’s Col. Wasim Jaddam told Ria Novosti.
"Our task is to provide security to people so that they can return to their homes. There is a huge concentration of terrorists in this zone,” Jaddam added.
The major military offensive comes after the Russian navy launched close to 18 missiles on Islamic State targets in Syria.
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