Russian forces have moved 40 weapon systems to bases in Al-Raqqa. This includes a convoy of armored vehicles, 4×4 vehicles, and heavy artillery from the area around the city of Al-Raqqa, heading towards the city of Ain Issa, to reinforce Russian military bases in the region.
Russia's Khmeimim base is just 20 miles away from the advancing Syrian rebels.
While the advance of the jihadists took place with remarkable speed, there are good reasons to believe that Assad's regime and its allies (Russians-Iranians) will launch a counteroffensive, even considering the limitations imposed on other military sectors.
Ibrahim al-Assil, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, stated: 'The real battle has not started yet. Assad may be applying an old strategy that worked for him before: retreat, regroup, fortify, and counterattack.
A key test for the progress of the rebels will be knowing when to stop.
With the forces of Assad's Syrian regime gathering in Hama and Russian airstrikes intensifying, the strength of the jihadists will be seriously tested in the coming days and weeks.
Syrian advance in Syria in the last few hours
The Syrian army has regained control of several villages in the countryside of Hama and is advancing towards Al-Safira in the Aleppo province, pro-government media reported.
The Syrian state news agency SANA announced that government forces retook key villages along the Maharda-Suqaylabiyah road in central Hama, including the areas of Karnaz, Tal Melh, Al-Jalmeh, Al-Jabin, Hayalin, and Sheikh Hadid.
Officials described the operation as a "major blow" to the Islamic groups that have established themselves in the area.
According to the Syrian Ministry of Defense, joint Syrian-Russian airstrikes in the last 24 hours targeted rebel strongholds in Hama and Idlib, resulting in dozens of fighter casualties and the destruction of equipment and vehicles.
The northern provinces of Aleppo and Idlib have been overwhelmed by intense fighting since last Wednesday, with observers describing it as the most violent escalation in years.
The attacks, led by combatant factions, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra), have spread to the Hama province.
Opposition factions claimed to have taken control of the Al-Ghab plain in Hama and strategic locations in Aleppo, including the Al-Nayrab military airport and the Infantry School.
However, the Syrian government dismissed these claims as "false propaganda," asserting that its forces had launched counterattacks to encircle the opposition fighters in the north.
The Syrian government further stated that its operations, supported by Russian assistance, had killed over 400 fighters, including foreign militants, in recent hours.
Many experts fear that Assad will turn to chemical weapons, as he did with devastating consequences during the darkest days of the civil war. If so, any successes achieved by the rebels could come at a terrifying cost.
