Intensive aerial and rocket shelling escalates targeting Yarmouk Basin and results in the displacement of about 4000 persons in less than 24 hours

Daraa Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the return of violent fighting to Yarmouk Basin, in the western sector of Daraa countryside, along with escalating the pace of the aerial and ground strikes, which increased the fears for the kidnapped citizens of Al-Suwaidaa who were abducted by the organization, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored that the violent clashes are taking place on the contact areas between the regime forces backed by armed militiamen loyal to them against the members of Jaysh Khaled Ibn Al-Waleed which pledges allegiance to the “Islamic State” organization, in the vicinity of the areas of Al-Qusayr, Abbdyn and Al-Shajara, amid intensive exchange of targeting in the clash areas, where the regime forces are trying to achieve advancement and confine the organization in narrower area in Yarmouk Basin, while an explosion rocked an area near the junction of Nafa’ah town, intersected sources suggested that it was caused by detonating a booby trapped vehicle which targeted the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them and the factions of the “reconciliation”, where the bombing resulted in the fall of casualties and wounded, in which the SOHR documented more casualties where it rose to more than 245, the number of casualties of the members of Jaysh Khalid Ibn al-Walid which swore allegiance to the “Islamic State” Organization, who have been killed since the 19th of July 2018, the date of starting the regime’s operation against Jaysh Khaled Ibn Al-Waleed, also it rose to 84 at least, the number of casualties of the members and officers of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them, who were killed in the same period.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored intensive artillery and rocket shelling which targeted Yarmouk Basin, and the intensive shelling by the regime forces was concentrated on the towns of Abbdyn and Al-Shajara, which caused further material damage to the property of the citizens, while Yarmouk Basin have been witnessing since the midnight of Saturday – Sunday, a mass displacement included about 4000 persons, who have been displaced from the controlled areas of Jaysh Khaled Ibn Al-Waleed to other areas controlled by the regime forces, due to the intensive shelling, which resulted in decreasing the number of those who remained to about 4000 persons.

The Syrian Observatory also documented in the past few hours, that discontent is growing in al-Suwaidaa, as the regime continues to fail the families of the kidnapped citizens, where the regime and its Russian ally didn’t care for the fate of those people who were abducted by the “Islamic State” organization, where after hours of calm that prevailed on Sunday, the 29th of July in Yarmouk Basin area in the countryside of Daraa in which the “Islamic State” organization required the stop of military operation against it in exchange for the survival of the abductees; and that the failure to do so will result in executing them, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the return of shelling to Yarmouk Basin, in conjunction with renewed aerial and ground targeting for the eastern countryside of al-Suwaidaa, which increased the resentment and discontent against regime’s steps that will have bad consequences; as the abductees are present in the grip of the Organization, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored during the last few hours the return of escalation, where the Observatory monitored the dropping of more than 5 barrel bombs by regime’s helicopters on areas in Yarmouk Basin, in conjunction with a raid by warplanes, amid shelling by about 20 shells targeted areas in Abdeen village and other places on the outskirts of areas controlled by Jaysh Khalid Ibn al-Walid, which swore allegiance to the “Islamic State” organization, amid skirmishes between the latter against the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them on the outskirts of Yarmouk Basin.