First units of Russian demining experts have arrived in Syria to demine the historic part of the ancient city of Palmyra, Russian news agencies quoted the Defense Ministry as saying on Thursday, March 31, Reuters reports.

Russia's six-month-old intervention in Syria helped to swing military momentum in Assad's favor, reversing last summer's gains by insurgents including Western-backed rebels and helping government forces to drive Islamic State out of Palmyra.

The recapture of the Palmyra and its military airport, in the central Syrian desert, opens up the road further east to the Islamic State bastions of Deir ez-Zor province and Raqqa.

"After liberating Palmyra it is necessary to move into the nearby regions which lead to the eastern parts of the country, for example, Deir ez-Zor," Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Wednesday. "At same time, we need to start in the direction of Raqqa, which is currently the main Islamic State stronghold."

Any offensive on Deir al-Zor or Raqqa however would probably need significantly more firepower than the Palmyra assault.