Syrian army and pro-Iranian militias attack rebel enclave in southern city

AMMAN, August 23 (Reuters) – Syrian army units backed by pro-Iranian militias carry out a major assault on an opposition enclave in the southern border town of Deraa in an attempt to retake the last stronghold of the opposition in southern Syria, residents, army and said opposition sources.

Troops gathered around the vast government city tried to advance into the area known as Deraa al Balaad, which is of particular importance in the Syrian conflict, as it was the center of the first peaceful protests against the Syrian government. Assad family in 2011, who were attended to by a deadly force. before spreading across the country.

Opposition fighters said they had repulsed the attack from the western side of the enclave, which has been under a two-month siege during which the army has barred food supplies, doctors said. and fuel, but has opened a corridor for civilians to leave, residents and told them local figures.

Pro-Iranian army units led by the elite fourth division that have also surrounded the enclave have dumped new fighters and established new checkpoints on the main road to Damascus leading to the Jordanian border crossing, said one source of the army.

Another army source said the fighting continued, but did not deepen. State media have said in recent days that the army was preparing to end a “state of illegality and chaos” and regain control of the army.

There were no signs of casualties in the latest incident.

The Syrian army, aided by Russian air power and Iranian militias, regained control in 2018 of the province of which Deraa is the capital and which borders Jordan and the Golan Heights of Israel.

ROAD MAP

Local negotiators on both sides say Moscow, which plays a key role in maintaining security in the region, had so far held back the army from a military offensive, which they say has been pushing army units supported by Iran who have a significant presence in Deraa. per.

Russian generals who on August 14 presented local leaders and the army with a roadmap that prevents a military confrontation are trying to win the opposition, some of whom fear the plan will give up an agreement reached by Russia three years ago. .

The deal at the time forced thousands of heavily backed Western rebels to hand over heavy weapons in 2018, but prevented the army from entering Deraa al Balaad.

The Moscow plan seen by Reuters offers a pardon to the former rebels, but allows the army to take over the enclave, while providing a safe passage for former rebels who oppose the agreement to march to areas of opposition in northwestern Syria.

Residents say Russian military police have stepped up their presence in the city and its outskirts, where they often act as mediators between locals in disputes with the army and security forces.

Until recently, the enclave had a population of about 50,000, but most had fled in the past two weeks, so the area has become a virtual ghost town with several thousand rebels excavated.

Since the state regained control of the province, the enclave and other cities in southern Syria have held sporadic protests against the authoritarian government of President Bashar al-Assad that are rare in areas under state control.

“They want to remove the remaining voice of the revolution in southern Syria,” Abu Jehad al Hourani, a local civilian leader of the enclave, said.

Suleiman Al-Khalidi reports; Edited by David Holmes

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