The Lebanese Hezbollah movement, which played a crucial role in defending the Syrian government throughout the neighboring country's civil war, has told Newsweek that the redeployment of its fighters would not be necessary in the face of a new large-scale rebel offensive.

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad on Monday branded an Islamist-led offensive that has captured swaths of territory an attempt to redraw the regional map in line with U.S. interests. His comments in a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian came as Syrian and allied Russian warplanes launched deadly raids on rebel-controlled areas.

“Syria is forging ahead in combatting terrorism with force and resoluteness on the entirety of its territories,” Assad said in a statement. The Syrian army bombed rebel positions in Aleppo and has dispatched reinforcements to the area north of the city of Hama to try to stop the advance.