Just hours after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s speech vowing victory over the rebels and “terrorist” groups in several areas of the country, those groups have launched a major offensive on the Latakia countryside in northwest Syria, the regime's stronghold.
The offensive, which the rebels have named "the battle for the liberation of the Syrian Coast,” has surprised the regime forces, said a Syrian source close to the government who spoke to Al-Monitor Aug. 5 on condition of anonymity.