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It comes amid increased Russian support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has faced several setbacks in recent weeks, including the loss of the government airbase in Idlib to Syria’s al-Qaeda affiliate, the Nusra Front.

Independent Russian military analyst Alexander Golts said the operation – which would not jeopardise ground troops – would be “the most rational approach” if Putin was determined to use the Russian military influx in Syria to score diplomatic points.

Nevertheless, Russian officials have played down the deliveries of military hardware to Syria, the newspaper added.

The two Shia villages of Al-Foua and Kefraya, meanwhile, have been targeted in a parallel offensive by an insurgent alliance that includes both the hardline Ahrar Al-Sham and the local Al-Qaeda affiliate, the Nusra Front.