Syrian Army makes final preparations for east Aleppo offensive: map

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15/01/2017

BEIRUT, LEBANON (8:15 A.M.) – On Sunday morning, the Russian and Syrian air forces began launching wide-scale airstrikes across the Deir Hafer and Maskanah plains, hitting several terrorist targets along the Raqqa-Aleppo Highway.

These wide-scale airstrikes come as the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) makes the final preparations for their long-awaited east Aleppo offensive.

A military source in Aleppo told Al-Masdar News on Saturday night that the Syrian Arab Army will concentrate on the Deir Hafer Plains, despite rumors of an attack on the Al-Bab Plateau.

If the Deir Hafer Plains is in fact the target for the Syrian Arab Army, then the long-term goal is the Al-Raqqa Governorate because as the government forces continue to push south from Deir Hafer, they will ultimately reach the Maskanah Plains, which is located along the provincial border.

The attack on Deir Hafer could not come at a better time for the Syrian Arab Army, as the Islamic State finds themselves under attack at nearby Al-Bab by the Turkish Army and western Al-Raqqa by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).