"We, together with our Russian partners, are preparing for an operation to liberate Aleppo and to block all illegal armed groups which have not joined or [which have] broken the ceasefire deal," Wael al-Halaki said Sunday.
Halaki added that Deir ez-Zor would be the next major target for Damascus after taking control of Aleppo.
He made the comments as a parliamentary delegation from Russia visited Syria on Sunday, Russia Today reported.
The Syrian Army, supported by Russian warplanes, liberated Palmyra last month in a three-week operation. The city is strategically located in central Syria and its capture opened a window of opportunity to further advance to Deir ez-Zor in the east.
However, the situation in Aleppo, which is currently being contested by several rival factions, has recently been aggravated. This week terrorist group Jaysh al-Islam used chemical weapons to attack Kurdish YPG forces, which control one of the city’s neighborhoods.