The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

About 2300 air and ground strikes target Daraa province in 22 hours of insane shelling and the regime forces expand their control to more than 60% of the province

Daraa Province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: aerial, artillery, and missile bombardments continue since about  21 hours on Daraa Province, where Daraa city and towns in its countryside witnessed aerial and ground bombardments of hundreds of raids, shells, and missiles, within the escalation of the regime and Russia after the agreement on the fate of Daraa Province failed to be reached during negotiations between the Russians and representatives of the province, where the Syrian Observatory monitored the increase of number of airstrikes that targeted Daraa province within 22 hours of the hysterical bombardment and shelling of about 870 strikes by the Russian warplane as well as regime’s warplanes and helicopters on Daraa city and its countryside, coincided with artillery and rocket shelling by more than 1400 artillery, and rocket shelling, and missiles believed to be ground-to-ground, which caused destruction and damage to citizens’ property and infrastructure and more casualties, where the Syrian Observatory monitored this morning the death of a family of 6 people including a woman and 4 children, as a result of the air raids on Saida, also since the return of shelling yesterday afternoon on Tafas, Saida, al-Naemeh, al-Yadudeh, al-Mayathen, Nasib, Daraa city, Taibah city and other areas in the countryside of Daraa.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published today Thursday afternoon that the regime forces achieving more advancement in the countryside of Daraa, after the resumption of military operation since Wednesday afternoon, as a result of the failure of military negotiations on the fate of Daraa Province, and in the details monitored by the Syrian Observatory: after hundreds of air, missile, and artillery strikes on and around Saida town and the eastern countryside of Daraa, the regime forces managed to advance at the expense of the factions and controlled Saida town and the Air Defense Battalion known as al-Kobra Battalion, which resulted in the advancement of the regime forces towards Nasib border crossing, and Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented that it rose to 149 citizens including 30 children and 31 women, the number of people who were killed since the 19th of June 2018, who were killed in the raids, intense rocket and artillery shelling and raids by the Russians and regime’s warplanes on Daraa Province, and in mine explosion, also the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented at least 131 casualties of the regime forces and gunmen loyal to them who have been killed since the 19th of June 2018, the date of starting the regime’s military operation in Daraa countryside, also it rose to 92 at least, the number of fighters of the rebel and Islamic factions who were killed in the same period, as a result of the aerial and rocket shelling and clashes.

This intense shelling comes after the failure of negotiations and the return of the regime forces’ military operation to the countryside of Daraa, where the regime forces expanded their control since the 19th of June 2018 until now to more than 60% of the area of Daraa Province, where the regime forces took control of the entire area of al-Lajat, the towns of Bosr al-Harir, Nahta, al-Hrak, Mlehat al-Atash, Western al-Mleha, Eastern Mleha, Eastern Kark, Om Walad, Western al-Gharya, Eastern al-Gharya, Rakham, al-Sorah, Alma, al-Msifra, Bosra al-Sham, Ghasm, Kahil, al-Sahwa, al-Jiza, Ma’araba and Jamreen, while there are still several villages and towns that allow the regime forces to control the entire eastern countryside of Daraa; and reach the Syrian – Jordanian border after losing Nasib border crossing in early April 2015, while the control of the factions has shrunk to about 33% of the area of Daraa Province, and Jaysh Khalid Ibn al-Walid which swore allegiance to the “Islamic State” organization controls less than 7% of the area of the province, also the regime forces was able to reach a point less than 6 km away of Nasib crossing on the Syrian – Jordanian border.