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DAMASCUS, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- At least 32 rebels were killed and 38 others wounded during the Syrian army's broad offensive with Russian air support in the central province of Hama and the northwestern province of Idlib, the state-run TV said on Thursday.
The state-run TV aired video footages of the wide-scale offensive in Hama, showing heavy artillery shelling and attacks by helicopters on the rebel-held territory.
The battles in Hama and Idlib mark the first instance where the Syrian military ground forces have carried out a broad offensive under the direct Russian air support.
The army hopes to fully secure the road between Hama and the central province of Homs under Russian airstrikes against the rebels.
The wide-scale offensive also aims to separate the countryside of Hama from the countryside of the northwestern of Idlib, which is largely under the control of Jaish al-Fateh, or the Conquer Army.
The Russian warplanes started on Wednesday its air strikes against rebel positions in several Syrian areas, marking the first Russian military involvement in the war on terrorist groups in Syria.
