Backed by Russian air strikes, the Syrian military, including Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah troops, are preparing to take back the Idlib and Hama countryside from the CIA’s jihadist mercenaries.

“The (Russian) air strikes will in the near future be accompanied by ground advances by the Syrian army and its allies,” a source in Lebanon told Reuters. “The vanguard of Iranian ground forces began arriving in Syria: soldiers and officers specifically to participate in this battle. They are not advisors … we mean hundreds with equipment and weapons. They will be followed by more,” the source added.

Iraqis will also participate, the source said.

On Wednesday, after Russia conducted air strikes in Syria, the United States said CIA proxy groups were hit. Short video of the strikes here.

The U.S. will continue to insist the threat in Syria is limited to ISIS and Bashar al-Assad and will argue, despite a large amount of evidence to the contrary, that the proxy war in Syria is a radical Islamist operation and there are virtually no moderate “rebels” involved in the fighting.

Short video with Putin here.