About 20,000 fighters loyal to Bashar al-Assad have been mobilized in government-held area in al-Ghab Plain and Latakia province to launch major offensive on the northern city of Jisr al-Shughour, well-informed source told Zaman al-Wasl.
The ongoing battles northeast Hama have delayed the offensive on Jisr-al-Shughour in Idlib province that was planned to begin on March 20, source added.
Meanwhile, more than 40,000 people, mainly women and children, have been displaced by fighting in Hama countryside, the United Nations said Tuesday.
Since a rebel offensive began in the area a week ago, people have fled south and west to Hama city and to other towns nearby and in neighboring districts including Homs, Latakia and Tartous, the United Nations said
