Syria forces seize villages in Daraa province

BEIRUT - Syrian government forces took two villages in the southern province of Daraa overnight, a monitor and state media said on Tuesday, cutting off a pocket of rebel-held territory.

The move means the northeastern part of the U-shaped piece of land the rebels hold is completely surrounded by government forces.

A military source cited by state media said the army had seized both Basr al-Harir and Mlehat al-Atash.

Troops then arrived on the edges of the nearby town of Al-Herak, state media said.

Air strikes and barrel bombs on Tuesday caused "unparallelled destruction across the town and to its infrastructure", 48-year-old resident Khaleel al-Hariri said.

Al-Herak's hospital had already been put out of service several days ago by bombardment.

Raids on Tuesday also killed a rescue worker in the town of Basr al-Harir, the White Helmets rescue service said.

"The regime achieved its most significant advance since last Tuesday" when it ramped up its bombardment of rebel positions in Daraa, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

For the government, the latest push means its forces in the heart of Daraa province and those in adjacent Sweida province are now directly connected.

A commander in the regional alliance that backs Assad said the aim of the offensive was to reach the Nassib crossing with Jordan, an economic artery in rebel hands since 2015.

The Britain-based Observatory said at least 15 rebels were killed in the latest battle, their bloodiest day since the government began ramping up its operations.

A total of 29 rebels and 24 pro-government fighters have been killed so far. At least 38 civilians have also lost their lives, the Observatory said.

The government and its allies earlier this year retook the last pockets in and around Damascus that had remained under rebel or jihadist control.

It had long stressed it would expand operations to recover the territory it lost after the war began in 2011, and Daraa is next on the list.

Rebel forces also control part of the neighbouring province of Quneitra. Both provinces abut the armistice line with Israeli forces in the occupied Golan Heights.

Humanitarian concern

The attack has fuelled concern of a new wave of displacement in a conflict that has already uprooted 11 million people, forcing millions abroad as refugees.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that civilians including children had been killed and injured and a hospital had been put out of operation by an air strike.

It said at least 45,000 people had fled fighting in the area in recent days.

"We haven't seen massive displacement in this scale in Daraa," OCHA spokeswoman Linda Tom said.

Displaced families on Tuesday could be seen streaming out of rebel-held areas in trucks piled high with mattresses, furniture, and blankets.

In the distance, air strikes left massive brown-grey clouds of smoke hanging above agricultural fields.

"We expect the number of displaced people could more than double as violence escalates," Bettina Luescher, spokeswoman for the U.N.'s World Food Programme (WFP), said.

WFP had provided food to 30,000 people and plans to deliver more in the coming days over the border from Jordan, she said.

Jordan will keep its borders shut and the United Nations can help displaced Syrians in their own country, Jordan's foreign minister said.

"The Jordanian contacts over southern Syria aim to stem bloodshed...and help the displaced inside Syria," Ayman Safadi said on Twitter. "We do all we can to help the brothers and we protect our interests and our security."

A rebel source said Jordanian authorities, citing safety, have warned factions there not to allow refugee flows next to the border, which has in effect been closed for years.

The United Nations has warned that up to 750,000 people are at risk as a result of the regime's week-old offensive.

Russia is currently leading negotiations with Syria, Jordan, Israel and the United States on a settlement for the provincial capital.