Syrian forces inflict hefty losses to Aleppo rebels

The Syrian army carried out a pre-emptive strike against a rebel position in the countryside of Aleppo on Wednesday evening, inflicting hefty losses among the opposition militants, a military source told Xinhua.

The military forces targeted gatherings of the rebels' Jaish al-Fateh group in the Project 1070 area, one of the several areas that have recently fallen to Jaish al-Fateh, in the southern countryside of Aleppo.

The source noted that the rebels were preparing to unleash an all-out offensive in Aleppo.

The army struck the rebel positions in southern Aleppo, destroying an explosive-laden vehicle, whose blast triggered a series of explosions in other vehicles.

The pre-emptive strike caused big losses among the rebels, which was conducive in hampering the rebels' planned attack.

Meanwhile, the state news agency SANA said the Syrian and Russian air forces dealt "decisive strikes" on the positions of Jaish al-Fateh in southern Aleppo Wednesday.

Citing a military source, SANA said the airstrikes targeted the gatherings of the rebels, killing "large numbers of them and destroying armored vehicles outfitted with machine guns."

The strikes destroyed four command centers, three booby-trapped vehicles and tens of armored vehicles, SANA added.

It said the Russian and Syrian air forces had killed hundreds of terrorists a day earlier in Aleppo, isolating the battle areas from the rest of the province.

Jaish al-Fateh announced last Monday that the next phase of battles in Aleppo will be a wide-scale offensive to "liberate the entire city" from the government forces.

Since then, reports emerged that the Syrian army and the rebels are sending reinforcement in anticipation to the all-out offensive.

Jaish al-Fateh, an alliance of several rebel factions, was formed in March 2015 under the supervision and coordination of Saudi cleric Abdullah al-Muhaysini.

The group seized most of Idlib province in northwestern Syria last year.

Military experts said that the group received military aid from Turkey, which explains the sudden rise and success they had achieved in southern Aleppo.

Aleppo is strategic for all warring parties due to its key location beside the Turkish border and role as Syria's industrial capital.

The battle of Aleppo is decisive, as observers declared that whoever controls Aleppo will gain the upper hand in any potential settlement in Syria. Endit