Syria regime gains ground in rebel-held southwest

BEIRUT - Syrian regime forces on Saturday made their first gains on the ground against rebel fighters in the southern province of Deraa after several days of intensified bombardment, a monitor said.

Since Tuesday, regime troops have been ramping up shelling on opposition-held areas in Deraa's eastern countryside ahead of an apparent military offensive against rebels there.

"Regime troops made their first advance in the area since the military escalation on Tuesday, seizing the villages of Al-Bustan and Al-Shumariya in the eastern part of Deraa province," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The shelling and clashes are currently focused on a wedge of rebel territory between Deraa's eastern countryside and the western part of the neighbouring province of Sweida.

The army seems to want to split that wedge into a northern and southern section, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said, "to facilitate their operations and increase the pressure on rebel factions, allowing it to advance more quickly."

Syrian state news agency SANA also reported the advance, saying army units edged forwards against rebels in Deraa's east.

After securing the capital Damascus, Syrian troops have turned to the country's south, where rebels still hold a majority of the provinces of Deraa and Sweida.

Southern Syria is a particularly strategic zone: it borders both Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and also lies close to Damascus.

Military reinforcements have been streaming into the south, despite it being designated a de-escalation zone last year where violence is supposed to be reduced.

The Observatory has noted an "ongoing escalation of shelling and clashes in eastern and northeastern parts of Deraa province."

The regime has used air strikes and artillery and has even resumed dropping notorious barrel bombs on Deraa province.

Barrel bombs slammed into the town of Al-Herak on Friday in the first use of the weapon on Deraa in nearly a year, according to the Observatory.

The escalation has left at least 17 civilians dead since Tuesday across rebel areas, according to the Britain-based monitor.

Some 12,000 people have been displaced from Deraa province in recent days, the Observatory said.

The United Nations has also warned that increasing violence is putting the lives of 750,000 people in rebel parts of the south at risk.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for an immediate end to a military escalation in southwest Syria and a return to ceasefire arrangements agreed by Russia, the United States and Jordan.

US Ambassador Nikki Haley separately urged Russia to pressure its Syrian ally to uphold the truce.

Guterres is scheduled to hold talks Saturday in Washington with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

President Bashar al-Assad has set his sights on retaking rebel-controlled parts of southern Syria.

Guterres said he was "gravely concerned" by the recent upsurge in fighting from the Syrian government offensive, saying it posed "significant risks" to regional security.

He called for "an immediate end to the current military escalation" and urged all sides to uphold the ceasefire commitments "as a matter of priority."

Jordan, Russia and the United States agreed last year to set up a de-escalation zone for the region that includes Daraa, Quneitra and Sweida. The area borders Jordan and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.

Haley said in a statement earlier: "The Syrian regime's violations of the ceasefire in southwest Syria need to stop."

"We expect Russia to do its part to respect and enforce the ceasefire it helped establish, and to use the influence it has to stop the Syrian regime's violations and any further destabilizing actions in the southwest and throughout Syria."

More than 11,000 people have been displaced in the upsurge of violence that has included air strikes, artillery, barrel bombs and rocket attacks, according to the US statement.

Assad's forces have retaken large parts of Syria from opposition fighters since Russia intervened militarily on its side in 2015.

The UN Security Council is scheduled to discuss Syria on Wednesday.

Even as the regime hints at a looming assault, talks between international brokers may see a negotiated settlement for Syria's south.