BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria's army along with Iranian and Hezbollah allies will soon launch a ground attack supported by Russian air strikes against insurgents in the Aleppo area, two senior regional officials told Reuters on Tuesday.Control of Aleppo city and the surrounding province in the area near the Turkish border is divided among the Syrian government, insurgent groups fighting Assad and the Islamic State group that controls some rural areas near the city.
"The big battle preparations in that area are clear," said one of the officials familiar with the plans. "There is a large mobilisation of the Syrian army ... elite Hezbollah fighters, and thousands of Iranians who arrived in stages in recent days."