Yesterday, the Syrian Arab Army’s 43rd and 155th Brigades of the 4th Mechanized Division – in coordination with Hezbollah, the National Defense Forces (NDF) of Aleppo City, and Harakat Al-Nujaba (Iraqi paramilitary) – completed the 2nd phase of their southern Aleppo offensive after capturing the strategic towns of Khan Touman, Al-Khalidiyah, and Al-Qarassi while also cutting off the Aleppo-Damascus Highway.

As a result of this major advance in northern Syria, the Syrian Arab Army’s 4th Mechanized Division and their allies have now captured over 3/4 of the southern Aleppo countryside after only controlling 1/4 of the territory 3 months ago.

With phase 2 of this southern Aleppo offensive completed, the Syrian Arab Army’s 4th Mechanized Division and their allies will now shift their attention to the northeastern countryside of the Idlib Governorate in order to begin phase 3 of this massive assault.

The primary objective of phase 3 will be the capture of the ICARDA Farms, followed by the Syrian Armed Forces’ entry into northwestern Idlib; this will ultimately pave the way for phase 4 when the pro-government forces attempt to capture the Islamist-held village of Taftanaz.

Unlike southern Aleppo, the Syrian Arab Army’s 4th Mechanized Division and their allies will have their hands full, as they are entering the Islamist heartland that is primarily controlled by Jabhat Al-Nusra (Syrian Al-Qaeda group) and Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham.