(Zaman Al Wasl)- Syrian regime forces stepped up its major offensive on southern Daraa province, pounding opposition areas by 60 missiles, local activists said Monday.
The regime offensive aims to control the so-called "Triangle of Death" region, which connects southern Damascus countryside with Daraa and Quneitra provinces.
Local activists said the rebel-held neighbourhood of Daraa city were hit by 60 surface-to-surface missiles in the last 48 hours.
Rebels say elite regime troops backed by Iranian-backed local militias have been escalating hit and run attacks on their posts north of Daraa.
The UN on Thursday warned escalation in Syria's south could have dangerous repercussions for the estimated 750,000 civilians in the rebel-held area.
About 3000 families have fled their towns in southern Syria towards the Jordanian border and the Israeli-Occupied Golan Heights.
Zaman Al Wasl TV has interviewed some of the displaced people who start building a new refugee camp in the town of Braiqa near the Occupied Golan Heights. They said regime would not dare to pound them to avoid the Isralei retaliation.
Syrian regime forces had so far made heavy use of artillery and rockets in the current assault, and Russian warplanes that were critical to the recovery of other rebel-held areas had not been deployed until now.
Russian-backed regime forces are preparing an offensive to retake Syria’s southern provinces of Daraa and Sweida, still mostly held by rebels who had been backed by the US for years.
In its turn, the United States has warned southern rebels that they should not expect military intervention if regime troops launch an assault against them, a rebel commander told AFP Sunday.
The US warning, contained in an Arabic-language message seen by AFP, came as Syrian troops this week stepped up airstrikes on the southern provinces.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported that Russia late Saturday carried out its first airstrike on Daraa since brokering a truce there in mid-2017.
That “de-escalation” deal for southwest Syria was agreed with the United States and Jordan and initially brought some respite to the area, though violations continued. Those same powers are in talks now to reach a negotiated settlement for the south that could head off a bloody regime assault.
Earlier this month, Bashar Assad acknowledged talks over the south but said if they failed loyalists would have “no choice” but to take it by force. regime forces this year have already recaptured two other areas that were declared “de-escalation zones” in 2017, including Eastern Ghouta outside Damascus and parts of the central Homs province. (With Agencies)
Zaman Al Wasl
Comments About This Article
Please fill the fields below.