At least 60 Syrian army members and allied militants have been killed on Saturday in Southern Front’s major attack on their stronghold in the southern city of Daraa, field sources told Zaman al-Wasl.
Rebels and al-Qaeda's Syria wing, the Nusra Front, announced Thursday a fierce offensive on Syrian regime forces in Daraa, saying their aim was to "purify" the area, according to AFP.
The mortar and artillery shells of Southern Front have pounded the political and military intelligence headquarters, the government complex and Ash Sharq Hotel in Daraa.
Activists say the regime-controlled Daraa hospital is overcrowded by dead of Syrian army.
In retaliation, regime air force extended its fierce aerial bombardment on rebel-held countryside of Daraa.
Opposition groups already control parts of the city and about 70 percent of the province of the same name, which borders Jordan.
Operation "Storm of Truth" was announced on Twitter by the Southern Front, an alliance of rebel groups, "to purify the province of Daraa from the filth of the gangs of [Bashar] Assad."
The offensive appears to be a continuation of an assault in June, launched by the same groups but dubbed "Southern Storm."
On Friday, activists said number of senior rebel commanders have been killed, including Zakariya al-Abboud, leader of Fallujat Houran Division, Mohamed Abdulrahim al-Ghanem, commander of Ahrar Mzeireeb, Jalal al-Masri, senior commander in Yarmouk Army, and Colonel Hussein al-Heraki.
Syria's southwestern corner is of strategic importance due to its proximity to Damascus and neighboring states Israel and Jordan. It is also the last significant foothold of mainstream rebels, who have mostly been crushed elsewhere in Syria by government forces or jihadist groups.
Syria's regime has already lost two provincial capitals - Idlib in the northwest, which is held a rebel alliance including al-Nusra, and Raqqa in the Euphrates valley, which is held by ISIS.
The "Southern Front", an alliance of rebel groups, has been coordinating operations against Assad from a joint command center in Jordan. It includes groups that have received some support from foreign states that want to see Assad gone, including Gulf Arab governments.
Syria's conflict began in March 2011 as popular protests against four decades of Assad family rule but changed into armed insurgency under a security force crackdown.
More than 230,000 people killed and over 12 million forced to flee their homes.(With agencies)
Rebels and al-Qaeda's Syria wing, the Nusra Front, announced Thursday a fierce offensive on Syrian regime forces in Daraa, saying their aim was to "purify" the area, according to AFP.
The mortar and artillery shells of Southern Front have pounded the political and military intelligence headquarters, the government complex and Ash Sharq Hotel in Daraa.
Activists say the regime-controlled Daraa hospital is overcrowded by dead of Syrian army.
In retaliation, regime air force extended its fierce aerial bombardment on rebel-held countryside of Daraa.
Opposition groups already control parts of the city and about 70 percent of the province of the same name, which borders Jordan.
Operation "Storm of Truth" was announced on Twitter by the Southern Front, an alliance of rebel groups, "to purify the province of Daraa from the filth of the gangs of [Bashar] Assad."
The offensive appears to be a continuation of an assault in June, launched by the same groups but dubbed "Southern Storm."
On Friday, activists said number of senior rebel commanders have been killed, including Zakariya al-Abboud, leader of Fallujat Houran Division, Mohamed Abdulrahim al-Ghanem, commander of Ahrar Mzeireeb, Jalal al-Masri, senior commander in Yarmouk Army, and Colonel Hussein al-Heraki.
Syria's southwestern corner is of strategic importance due to its proximity to Damascus and neighboring states Israel and Jordan. It is also the last significant foothold of mainstream rebels, who have mostly been crushed elsewhere in Syria by government forces or jihadist groups.
Syria's regime has already lost two provincial capitals - Idlib in the northwest, which is held a rebel alliance including al-Nusra, and Raqqa in the Euphrates valley, which is held by ISIS.
The "Southern Front", an alliance of rebel groups, has been coordinating operations against Assad from a joint command center in Jordan. It includes groups that have received some support from foreign states that want to see Assad gone, including Gulf Arab governments.
Syria's conflict began in March 2011 as popular protests against four decades of Assad family rule but changed into armed insurgency under a security force crackdown.
More than 230,000 people killed and over 12 million forced to flee their homes.(With agencies)
Zaman Al Wasl
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