Vladimir Putin and Syrian dictator Bashar Assad appear to be preparing an imminent final offensive against the last rebel holdouts in Idlib city. Any attack will both be designed to cause, and incidentally cause, heavy civilian casualties.

Evincing the looming offensive, Syrian regime/proxy and Russian military forces have spent the past few days in heavy artillery shaping operations toward rebel-held areas of the M-4 highway. They’re likely hoping to secure this highway around the town of Ariha, so as to then gain access to the route 60A road and its short 8 mile run north to Idlib city. That would enable regime forces to surround and then compress the city’s inhabitants with massive air and artillery strikes.