Army, Russian airstrikes hit rebels in west

The Syrian army and allied militia, backed by Russian airstrikes, carried out ground attacks on insurgent positions in Syria on Wednesday in what appeared to be their first major coordinated assault since Moscow intervened last week, a monitor said.

Russia's airstrikes hit northern parts of Hama province and nearby areas in Idlib province, targeting towns close to the main north-south highway that runs through major cities in western Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

"For the first time, the strikes were accompanied by fighting on the ground between regime forces and rebels," said Syrian Observatory chief Rami Abdulrahman.