SYRIAN forces launched a major offensive in Homs province yesterday morning, liberating two villages from Islamic extremists in the first hours.

Troops went into action north of the the eponymous provincial capital where the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front and other groups occupy a pocket of territory.

“At 5.30am our army began a large-scale operation in the north of the Homs governorate,” a military source told Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.

“The village of Haldiye and another neighboring village were freed. The situation on the front line at the moment is excellent.”

Syrian TV said that the offensive began following “concentrated air strikes and heavy preparatory artillery shelling on the terrorist groupings and their bases.”

Clearing the area of rebel groups would clear the major M5 road, which runs from Daraa and Damascus in the south to rebel-held Idlib and besieged Aleppo in the north, and free up troops to fight elsewhere.

Major military operations are already under way in Hama and Idlib governorates, north of Homs, supported by Russian bombing raids and close air support.

The army also retook the town of Khaldiyeh in Hama, south of the provincial capital, and inflicted casualties on rebels near Teir Maalah.

Gains were also reported at Safsafa on the border between Hama and Latakia province and the al-Amal farms on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights.

Russian air raids from a base in Latakia have tripled in intensity since they began on October 30, from 25 to 30 sorties a day to almost 90.

Syria’s ally Iran denied Western media rumours that its forces were already operating in the country but reiterated Tehran’s support for President Bashar al-Assad.

“In accordance with Iran’s anti-terrorism strategy, we submitted weapons and experts to (Iraq and Syria),” said Iranian parliamentary foreign policy and national security committee chairman Alaeddin Boroujerdi. “Any other request will be considered and debated in Iran.”

• In Turkey, Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioglu threatened to attack the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria if they took “any action against Turkey.”

He made his comments following a meeting with his Saudi Arabian counterpart Adel al-Jubeir. Both men criticised Russia’s intervention and insisted that Mr Assad must leave office.