Siege on Daraa al-Balad 50 days on | Regime forces shell residential neighbourhoods, along with clashes at Daraa city’s entrance

Daraa province: Syrian Observatory activists have reported clashes with heavy machineguns between local gunmen from Daraa al-Balad and the 4^th Division, along with bombardment by regime forces with heavy artillery and tanks on the residential neighbourhoods in Daraa city.

 

This development comes in light of the siege imposed by regime forces and the 4^th Division on the neighbourhoods of Daraa city for the 50^th consecutive day. While several humanitarian convoys entered the besieged neighbourhoods during this period.

 

Earlier this morning, SOHR activists reported five attacks on regime military positions in Daraa countryside in a few hours. However, no casualties were reported so far. The attacks could be summarised as follows:

 

• Unknown gunmen opened machinegun fire on regime checkpoint on the road between Nawa and Tasil in the western countryside of Daraa.

 

• Unknown gunmen attacked, with machineguns and RPGs, a checkpoint of the Air-Force Intelligence service on the road between Da’el and Abtaa.

 

• An attack on the security zone in Nawa city in the western countryside of Daraa.

 

• Local gunmen opened machinegun fire on checkpoint of the military security service in al-Masiritiyah town in Yarmouk Basin in the western countryside of Daraa.

 

• Local gunmen from the northern countryside of Daraa attacked, with machineguns and RPGs, the state security service’s headquarters in the cultural centre in Jasim city.

 

Yesterday, Observatory sources reported that a motorcade of eight cars of the Russian military police arrived in Daraa al-Mahatah from Damascus. The motorcade arrival coincided with complete closure of al-Saraya checkpoint that separates Daraa al-Balad from Daraa al-Mahatah. Meanwhile, regime forces removed the soil barriers and blocked the road before the displaced people in light of the escalating humanitarian crisis in Daraa and the acute shortage of food, water and bread supplies.

 

For nearly 50 days, the Syrian regime and the 4th Division continued to impose full or partial siege on Daraa neighbourhoods, draining the local gunmen and depleting the population provisions under pretext of “negotiation stalemate between the Central Committee of Hawran and the regime forces”.

 

Despite the de-escalation agreements, regime forces and the 4th Division continued their attacks and bombardment with heavy and medium weapons in Dara al-Balad, its surrounding areas and villages.