After series of meetings with top leaders of the Russians and the regime; Russian Forces prevent the 4th Division and the Republican Guards from receiving the faction’s posts opposite to the Organization south of Damascus
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights received details regarding the meeting that took place between representatives of the factions positioned on the contact line between the towns of Yalda, Bebbila and Beit Saham south of Rif Dimashq and the “Islamic State” organization’s controlled areas control south of Damascus, where intersected sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that officers of the Republican Guards and NDF Forces; asked representatives of south Rif Dimashq and south of the capital for Jaysh al-Ababil to hand over its position points on the fronts of the “Islamic State” organization at the outskirts of al-Tadamon, in order for the regime forces to face the organization and advance at its expense, where this request came after the regime forces failed to advancement at the expense of the factions in this area, which was rejected by the other party, and they confirmed to regime’s officers that Jaysh al-Ababil would not shoot on the regime during its attack on the organization and fighting it, then the officers threatened to shell Jaysh al-Ababil if their points are not delivered within 2 hours of the 25th of April 2018, they have also accused the representatives of the south of Rif Dimashq of seeking to build an agreement between the opposition and Russia.
Representatives of south of Rif Dimashq complained to the Russian General in charge of the area –who attended the meeting on the same day–, and the general said that requests of the regime forces’ officers are unacceptable and he will carry out a meeting with the regime’s Minister of Defense and the General Ali Mamlouk, and even if it was necessary; he will meet Bashar Alassad personally, and the only solution in which the regime receives these fronts, is when the regime accepts the factions’ leave from the south of Rif Dimashq, and the General promised at the meeting on 25th of April to take the wounded of Jaysh al-Islam to receive treatment in the Syrian north, and opening the crossings towards the south of Rif Dimashq, he also confirmed in a response to one of regime’s officials, about Hezbollah’s heading to Quneitra and Daraa to fight Israel by saying that the Russian vision is based on Hezbollah heading to Deir Ezzor and Al-Mayadin.
The same sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that the Jaysh al-Islam have handed over about half of it position points opposite to the “Islamic State” organization to the regime forces, after a meeting for commanders of Jaysh al-Islam south of Rif Dimashq with an Islamic brigade working in the area, and, with the regime forces, which pushed fighters of Jaysh al-Islam to leave their position points and they were divided in this decision between them and the leadership of Jaysh al-Islam.
The trusted sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the meeting on the 26th of April 2018 have included the Russian General, who confirmed that after his meeting with Ali Mamlouk and the Russian Forces’ Commander in Syria, they saw that there is no use in regime’s presence on the line separating the factions and the “Islamic State” organization, and that the factions operating in the south of Rif Dimashq should maintain their fronts without allowing the organization to advance, and should prepare a coordination team between the factions operating south of Rif Dimashq and the regime forces for both parties to coordinate with each other’s, after stopping the violations of the 4th Division and the Republican Guards against the factions, and that the humanitarian crossing that reach to the areas of south of Rif Dimashq will be opened, provided that the organization does not benefit from it, the sources also confirmed that the Russian General asked for the attendance of all officers who threatened the factions in the meeting on April the 25th, and assured them that everyone must follow orders and instructions, and that the regime has no ability to face the organization as the factions do, and that the Republican Guards must be cautious because it is a scandal for a member of them to be slaughtered by the “Islamic State” organization and beheaded, and that he is confident that many of them will be beheaded if they take the contact points of the factions instead of fighters of the factions working south of Rif Dimashq, and he put the regime officers responsible for the injury of its members or members of the factions.
The Syrian Observatory published this morning that the regime forces have opened the crossing of Sidi Meqdad – Babbila, for the citizens to enter the south of Damascus again, while 2 shells fell on areas in Yalda town controlled by the factions in the southern Rif Dimashq.
And the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published today that a partial agreement was reached between representatives of the factions operating in the southern Rif Dimashq and between the regime and the Russians, to bring out a batch of the injured fighters to the Syrian North, as a result of being targeted by the regime’s helicopters about 3 days ago, where these helicopters dropped an explosive barrel on a position of the forces of Jaysh Al-Islam which are stationed in the outskirts of the southern Rif Dimashq from the side of the south of the capital, which killed 10 commanders and members at least of Jaysh Al-Islam, as well as the injury of others including commanders in the same bombardment.
The sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that this agreement is partial, and it aims to transfer the injured members to receive treatment, while the regime forces and the Russians insist on postponing the implementation of the evacuation from the southern Rif Dimashq according to the previous agreement, until they complete the operation of the south of Damascus against Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham and the “Islamic State” organization, in the neighborhoods of Yarmouk Camp, Al-Kadam, Al-Hajar al-Aswad and Al-Tadamon.
The regime forces have threatened the factions operating in the areas of Yalda, Beit Saham and Babbila, to bomb the three areas which are “reconciliation areas”, if the factions do not hand over the contact points with the organization to the regime forces, following the failure of the regime forces to achieve further advancement at the expense of the organization, through penetrating its controlled areas in the south of Damascus, and in the same context, the regime forces are continuing to close Babbila crossing for the 8th consecutive day, which is the only crossing in the area, which resulted in deteriorating the humanitarian situation of the residents of Yalda, Beit Saham and Babbila, and the SOHR has monitored the regime forces bringing more military reinforcements to the southern section of the capital Damascus, in conjunction with the continuation of military operations in the area, where the Syrian Observatory monitored the arrival of reinforcements from the Eastern Qalamoun, which witnessed the displacement of thousands of fighters, their families and civilians, and during the agreement large quantities of weapons, armored vehicles, tanks, ammunition, missiles and vehicles were handed over to the regime forces and the Russians, where reinforcements arrived in an attempt by the regime forces to expand the scale of attack on the Organization and Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham, where the regime forces has been carrying out operations in several areas in al-Hajar al-Aswad, al-Kadam, al-Tadamon and Yarmouk camp, after they managed to advancement in the north, south and northwest of the “Islamic State” organization’s controlled areas.