Syria's army, along with Iranian and Hezbollah allies, will soon launch a ground attack supported by Russian airstrikes against insurgents in the Aleppo area, two senior regional officials said Tuesday.

Control of Aleppo and the province surrounding the city near the Turkish border is divided among the Syrian government, insurgent groups fighting President Bashar Assad and the Islamic State group, which controls some rural areas near the city.

"The big battle preparations in that area are clear," said one of the officials familiar with the plans. "There is a large mobilization of the Syrian Army . . . elite Hezbollah fighters and thousands of Iranians who arrived in stages in recent days."