The Syrian dessert battles between the regime forces and factions operating there leave casualties

Rif Dimashq Province, the Syrian Observatory for Human rights: the SOHR learned that 3 members of Ahmad Al-Abdo Forces were killed in shelling by and clashes with the regime forces and their allied militiamen in areas in the Syrian dessert located in the southeastern part of Rif Dimashq. The area has witnessed a violent attack by the regime forces and their allied militiamen, as a result of which they managed to advance into more border checkpoints and positions that used to be under the control of Ahmad Al-Abdo Forces and Jaysh Usud Al-Sharqiyah in the Syrian dessert.

It should be noted that the SOHR published on the 10th of August 2017 that the regime forces managed to make an important advancement into the area and expand alongside the Syrian-Jordanian border, thus ending the presence of factions there within the administrative borders of Al-Suwaidaa Province. Clashes were accompanied by an exchange of shelling between both parties and airstrikes targeting areas of clashes. Such an advancement leaves no way out for the factions in the east and southeast of Syria, except for a border strip on the border of the southeastern part of Rif Dimashq with Jordan, in addition to a border strip with Iraq extending over the provinces of Rif Dimashq and Homs, which includes Al-Tanf border crossing between Syria and Iraq. This advancement came after about a month of continuous attacks by the regime forces, 48 hours after the Southern Syria truce came into force by virtue of an agreement brokered by Russia, US and Jordan on the 9th of July 2017. The agreement provided for halting all hostilities and military operations in the Provinces of Al-Suwaida, Daraa and Al-Quneitra. The factions operating in Al-Suwaidaa Province announced then that they have not been informed by any regional or international entity about the ceasefire agreement and its provisions in the southern Syria.