(Zaman Al Wasl)- The Syrian regime army has mobilized thousands of troops west of Damascus, seeking to defeat rebels in strategic Wadi Barada valley, where the capital's main water supply has been bombed out of service, sources said Tuesday.
The deployment come as rebel groups decide to attend peace talks backed by Russia and Turkey in Kazakhstan on Jan.23 to press for full implementation of a ceasefire they say has been widely violated by the regime and its Iranian-backed allies.
Pro-regime Al-Masdar news site said the regime forces continued their wide-scale advance in the Wadi Barada, targeting the final rebel pocket near the Al-Fijah Springs and Deir Maqran.
Led by the 42nd Brigade of the 4th Mechanized Division and Qalamoun Shield, the Syrian Arab Army stormed the jihadist-held Al-Fijah Springs in Wadi Barada, resulting in a long battle on Monday, Al-Masdar said.
On Sunday, 12 civilians were killed when regime tanks shelled a displaced center in Deir Qanoun town in the embattled valley.
The attacks have disrupted planned repair works to a pumping station that supplies most of the capital's water.
Local activists and civil councils in Wadi Barada region cautioned rebels of attending Astana talks that ‘will be holding on their blood,’ according to statement posted online.
The rebels took the decision at meetings underway in Ankara, and are now working to form a delegation that will be headed by Mohammad Alloush, the head of the political office of Jaish al-Islam rebel group, Alloush told Reuters. He said the rebels were going to Astana to "neutralize the criminal role" of Iran.
Analysts believe the rebels have been under pressure from Turkey, one of their main sponsors, to attend. Earlier this month, they called off any talks on their participation in the Astana meeting over what they said were government violations of a ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey.
Turkey's priorities in Syria appear to have shifted away from toppling Assad towards combating Kurdish groups and Islamic State in areas of northern Syria near its border. Its ties with Russia have also improved in recent months.
The talks are scheduled for Jan. 23 in Astana. Turkey's foreign minister said on Saturday that Ankara and Moscow had decided to invite the United States to attend. A Kremlin spokesman did not confirm that on Monday.
The rebel groups that will attend the talks include FSA factions fighting in northern Syria, some of them the groups defeated in Aleppo. Alloush's faction, Jaish al-Islam, is one of the bigger rebel groups, with a strong presence in the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta area near Damascus.
The delegation will be different to one sent to peace talks in Geneva last year by the main opposition council, the Saudi-backed High Negotiations Committee. The HNC, which includes political and armed opposition groups, represented the opposition in peace talks last year.
Alloush sits on the HNC, which said on Saturday that it had supported efforts towards the talks in Kazakhstan, and viewed the meeting as a preliminary step for resuming the next round of political negotiations in Geneva.
Malahifji said the new delegation would be formed in coordination with the HNC, but it would differ from it because "the Russians are focusing very much on the military factions".
The deployment come as rebel groups decide to attend peace talks backed by Russia and Turkey in Kazakhstan on Jan.23 to press for full implementation of a ceasefire they say has been widely violated by the regime and its Iranian-backed allies.
Pro-regime Al-Masdar news site said the regime forces continued their wide-scale advance in the Wadi Barada, targeting the final rebel pocket near the Al-Fijah Springs and Deir Maqran.
Led by the 42nd Brigade of the 4th Mechanized Division and Qalamoun Shield, the Syrian Arab Army stormed the jihadist-held Al-Fijah Springs in Wadi Barada, resulting in a long battle on Monday, Al-Masdar said.
On Sunday, 12 civilians were killed when regime tanks shelled a displaced center in Deir Qanoun town in the embattled valley.
The attacks have disrupted planned repair works to a pumping station that supplies most of the capital's water.
Local activists and civil councils in Wadi Barada region cautioned rebels of attending Astana talks that ‘will be holding on their blood,’ according to statement posted online.
The rebels took the decision at meetings underway in Ankara, and are now working to form a delegation that will be headed by Mohammad Alloush, the head of the political office of Jaish al-Islam rebel group, Alloush told Reuters. He said the rebels were going to Astana to "neutralize the criminal role" of Iran.
Analysts believe the rebels have been under pressure from Turkey, one of their main sponsors, to attend. Earlier this month, they called off any talks on their participation in the Astana meeting over what they said were government violations of a ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey.
Turkey's priorities in Syria appear to have shifted away from toppling Assad towards combating Kurdish groups and Islamic State in areas of northern Syria near its border. Its ties with Russia have also improved in recent months.
The talks are scheduled for Jan. 23 in Astana. Turkey's foreign minister said on Saturday that Ankara and Moscow had decided to invite the United States to attend. A Kremlin spokesman did not confirm that on Monday.
The rebel groups that will attend the talks include FSA factions fighting in northern Syria, some of them the groups defeated in Aleppo. Alloush's faction, Jaish al-Islam, is one of the bigger rebel groups, with a strong presence in the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta area near Damascus.
The delegation will be different to one sent to peace talks in Geneva last year by the main opposition council, the Saudi-backed High Negotiations Committee. The HNC, which includes political and armed opposition groups, represented the opposition in peace talks last year.
Alloush sits on the HNC, which said on Saturday that it had supported efforts towards the talks in Kazakhstan, and viewed the meeting as a preliminary step for resuming the next round of political negotiations in Geneva.
Malahifji said the new delegation would be formed in coordination with the HNC, but it would differ from it because "the Russians are focusing very much on the military factions".
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