Clashes continue violently east of Daraa with regime’s advancement and the aerial bombardment leave more casualties raising the death toll to 23 civilians killed by ground and aerial bombardment in Daraa

Daraa Province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the number of people who were the killed continues to rise as a result of the continued shelling and escalation on the eastern countryside of Daraa, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the death of a woman while her husband was injured; in raids carried out by warplanes on areas in al-Hrak town which also caused material damage to the property of citizens and the town’s infrastructure, also a hospital went out of service as a result of the material damage in its building and equipment, raising to at least 23 including a woman and her son, 5 women, and 2 female children, the number of people killed in the artillery and missile shelling by the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them on several villages and towns in the countryside of Daraa, also the Syrian Observatory documented the death of 5 people including 3 children in the fall of shells on areas in al-Matar neighborhood in Daraa city, and on other places in al-Sanamayn city, and the Syrian Observatory also documented the death of at least 13 members of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them, while it rose to 15 at least, the number of fighters of the rebel and Islamic factions who have been killed since the beginning of the clashes and the continuous escalation of shelling for the 6th consecutive day, thus, the total death toll rose to at least 56 civilians, faction fighters, and members of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them, amid information about other casualties of fighters and members of both parties as a result of intense raids, shelling, and clashes.

In the same context, the warplanes carried out more raids on areas in Bosr al-Harir town, in conjunction with dropping 4 barrel bombs by helicopters on areas in Nahta town in the eastern countryside of Daraa, which caused material damage but no information about casualties, while the violent clashes continue between the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them against fighters of rebel and Islamic factions, in areas in the eastern and northeastern countryside of Daraa, where the clashes are concentrated in Bosr al-Harir area and al-Lajat area, so that the regime forces achieve more advancement and control Jadal village in al-Lajat area, after being able to control 4 villages in the eastern countryside of Daraa, where the clashes are still taking place on its outskirts, and the clashes are accompanied by exchange of targeting in the clash areas between both parties, amid information about more casualties in their ranks.

And these Russian raids on Daraa province, are the first raids to be carried out by Russian warplanes on the province about a year ago, since the start of implementing the Syrian South agreement, that was reached between the US, Russia and Jordan, on the 9th of July 2017, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also published that the intensive shelling resulted in increasing the number of people who have been displaced from the areas which have been subjected to shelling as well as the areas near the battle fronts, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored within 5 days of stepping up military operations, the displacement of about 14000 people from the villages and towns of Nahte, Bosr al-Harir, Eastern Mleha, Western Mleha, al-Hrak, Msikah, Asim, al-Shomarah, al-Shayyah, and al-Bostan in the eastern countryside of Daraa, amid fears of the increase of displacement due to the military operations east of the province, after the failure of the international parties in finding a solution to the situation of the Syrian south, with the continued stubbornness of the Iranian forces, their allies,  and the gunmen supported by them; in withdrawing from the area according to the regional and international conditions imposed to achieve the solution in the Syrian south.

It is noteworthy that the Syrian Observatory monitored calm in the Syrian South, on the contact lines between the regime forces and gunmen loyal to them against the rebel and Islamic factions, started on Friday night, the 15th of June 2018, and lasted for 48 hours along with the preparations that have been taking place since about 3 weeks by the regime forces and their allies and between the factions, for an expected military operation if the local, regional and international parties fail definitively to reach an agreement about the Syrian south, which has been witnessing since July 2017 an agreement between Jordan, Russia and the United States of America about de-escalation and decrease the combat operations, and this clam in the Syrian south coincides with the failure of the international and regional parties to find a consensual formula about the future of the Syrian south, and at the same time the Iranians are still refusing to withdraw with the militia loyal to them of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities, also intersected sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that no consensus had yet been reached about the Iranian withdrawal towards other Syrian areas, and no agreement has been reached on any items about the Syrian south, which has been witnessing a Russian – American – Jordanian agreement since July 2017, and this agreement has witnessed hundreds of violations by the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities, as well as the rebel and Islamic factions operating in the areas where the agreement takes place in al-Quneitra, al-Suwaidaa and Daraa provinces, while Daraa province, and al-Quneitra province, has been witnessing since the 25th of May 2018 the regime forces’ continuation of their mobilizations and bringing military reinforcements of their members and the militiamen loyal to them, in a preparation for a military operation in both provinces of Daraa and Al-Quneitra in the Syrian South, which has been witnessing a truce and a cessation of combat operations since 2017, where more reinforcements have arrived in the northern countryside of Al-Quneitra and Daraa countryside, in a preparation for a military operation which is expected to start in the case that an agree is not reached with the factions of the Syrian South, and the Syrian Observatory published few hours ago, that it monitored the factions of Daraa city and its countryside fortifying their points of deployment and position, and putting barricades and preparing the military vehicles, weapons as well as providing points and sites with weapons and ammunitions, and intersected sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that this fortifying process comes in preparation for a potential military operation, of which the regime and the Russians may carry out in Daraa province and Syrian south, where the fortifications included sites of the factions in the countryside of Quneitra as a part of the preparation process for a violent clashes the regime forces may launch with their allies at any time in the coming days, despite the Russian – American – Jordanian agreement in the Syrian south that has been in effect since the 9th of July 2017, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 7th of June 2018, that the Iranian Forces are still refusing the Russian proposal in withdrawing from Daraa and Quneitra provinces as well as the entire Syrian south towards other areas in central Syria, the sources told the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the Iranian Forces imposed a condition in exchange for their withdrawal towards the desert and central Syria, which is the evacuation of al-Tanf base of the American and International Coalition Forces on the Syrian – Iraqi border, as a condition for them to leave the Syrian south, of which Russia is working with the regime to reach a solution about the area, through local discussions with the factions and regional with Syria’s neighboring countries.