DAMASCUS, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Tension is brewing in the countryside of the province of Aleppo between the Syrian forces and rebels as both sides are bringing reinforcements, a war monitor reported Saturday.

The Syrian army brought in a considerable backup of forces and military gears at a time the rebels are also bringing in fighters and weapons to front line areas, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Syrian army captured the provincial capital of Aleppo in 2016. However, the rebel groups have maintained positions in the western and northern countryside of Aleppo.

The Syrian government officials have stressed repeatedly that the Syrian army will capture all Syrian areas from the rebels.

Still, it wasn't clear if a wide-scale offensive would take place as the Syrian army is now busy dealing with the situation in the northwestern province of Idlib, which is considered to be the last major rebel stronghold in the country.

In its report Saturday, the Observatory said the army fired surface-to-surface missiles on the rebel positions in the Zawiya Mountain in Idlib.

The Syrian army is fighting to secure the stretch of the road connecting Hama with Aleppo province, as it will allow for securing the entire official road between the capital Damascus in the south and Aleppo in the north, which explains the shelling in Idlib and military buildup in Aleppo countryside.