Assad with allied militants attack southern suburbs of Damascus

(Zaman Al Wasl)- Syrian regime forces backed by allied militias have launched a major offensive on southern suburbs of Damascus, pressing a campaign against rebels posing one of the biggest remaining threats to the capital, activists said Tuesday.

Activist Abu Hamza al-Shami said the so-called ‘Decisive Battle’ aimed to cleanse Syrian south of rebels, a mission could be impossible as rebels inflicted humiliating defeats on Bashar al-Asaad army and Shiite militia including Hezbollah and Iranian al-Quds Force.

Last weeks, the southern suburbs witnessed skirmishes and sporadic shelling but this week might be more crucial for rebels to thwart any surprise attacks by Assad, according to la-Shami.

The offensive came along with the fiercest assault on the neighboring Daraa and Quneitra provinces since last week to recapture territory and military bases were controlled by the Southern Front, key rebel group belongs to the Free Syrian Army (FSA).

Assad’s forces and their Shi'ite allies took a ground in a major offensive in Daraa province last Wednesday.

Media close to the Syrian government and Hezbollah said the operation had been several weeks in the planning.

Sources on both sides of the southern battlefront said the offensive aimed to shield the capital Damascus, a short drive to the north. The insurgents had made significant gains in the south in recent months, taking several military bases, according Reuters.

State-run media justified the recent defeats in Daraa by accusing some army soldiers of cooperating with rebels, especially after the fall of of Brigade 82 in Sheikh Miskeen two weeks ago.

Activists loyal to Assad said Saturday 12 officers and soldiers were summarily killed in Daraa province over charges of cooperating with rebels what caused the loss of military bases last month.

The official Facebook page of National Defense militia in Daraa province assured killing of 12 troopers in 9 Division by the armed forces that have been waging a fierce assault on Syrian south.

Iran leads South Battles

Rebel reports say that Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Quds Force, is believed to be the top commander of the offensive on Daraa.

Reports said Soleimani backed by Hezbollah fighters have carried on, and for the first time, full battles against rebels without any participation from the Assad side. Suleiman wants to eliminate FSA from the south, activists said.

The southern rebels have received aid including what they describe as small amounts of military support through an operations room based in Jordan, a staunch U.S. ally determined to keep its Syrian frontier safe from jihadists.

Most rebels of Daraa, who are fighting to topple Bashar al-Assad, belong to the Southern Front, which includes some 30,000 fighters from more than 55 mainstream opposition groups operating from the Jordanian border to the outskirts of Damascus and the Golan Heights.

Al Qaeda's Syrian arm, the Nusra Front, is also active in the south, which stretches up to the frontiers with Jordan and Israel, while rival Islamic State jihadists control much of the north and east of the country.

Syria's conflict, now in its fourth year, has killed more than 220,000 people and caused millions to flee. (Editing by Anwar Diab)