Beirut  – Syrian troops backed by Hezbollah and Iranian fighters made advances on Saturday in their offensive to retake territory around the northern city of Aleppo from the opposition fighters, a monitoring group said.

The campaign around Aleppo, which the army launched on Friday, is one of several assaults it has waged against rebel fighters since Russian jets began carrying out air strikes on Sept. 30 in support of Bashar al-Assad.

It has concentrated so far on clearing rebel areas south of Aleppo rather than the city itself, which is home to 2 million people and divided between government forces and rebels.

Troops are also trying to advance to the east of Aleppo towards Kweires military airport, aiming to break a siege on the base by ISIS and other insurgents, the UK-based Observatory said.

The Observatory said the army was advancing in Huwaija, one of several villages where heavy fighting was continuing.

The Observatory reported fighting around the town of Talbiseh, part of a rebel-held enclave north of Homs city which has faced heavy bombardment by Russian jets for the last two weeks, and a ground offensive by the army and allied militias.

The monitor said that at least 72 people, including 31 children and women, were killed in the past 48 hours in the assault in Homs.

Reuters, Saturday, 17 October 2015