The Syrian army has withdrawn from much of the southern region as rebels gained Daraa and Sweida parts of the country in a lightning offensive.
This is the fourth strategic loss for President Bashar al-Assad’s forces in a week as Daraa-based opposition forces on Saturday said they seized control of the city.
Daraa was, reportedly, known as “the cradle of revolution” early in Syria’s war as government repression of protests could not quell people’s anger over the 2011 incident when a group of boys were tortured and sent to detention for scribbling anti-Assad graffiti on their school walls.
In April of that year, the regime besieged the city, a move taken to militarise the revolution.
It has been learnt from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights when local factions had taken control of more than 90 per cent of Daraa province, including the eponymous city.
In neighbouring Sweida, local fighters took control of several checkpoints.
Sweida belongs to Syria’s Druze minority and has witnessed anti-government demonstrations for more than a year.
After the fall of Daraa and Sweida early Saturday, Syrian government forces remained in control of Damascus, Homs, Latakia and Tartus.
The Observatory also said the Syrian army on Saturday withdrew from Quneitra, which borders the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Diplomatic move
The top diplomats from Iran, Turkey and Russia have met in Qatar on Saturday for talks on Syria.
After the discussions in Doha with his Russian and Turkish counterparts, Sergei Lavrov and Hakan Fidan, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the parties agreed on the initiation of “political dialogue between the Syrian government and the legitimate opposition groups”.
The three countries have been involved since 2017 in the so-called Astana format talks seeking a political settlement in Syria.
However, the situation in the country has changed dramatically in recent days after rapid gains by Islamist-led rebel forces who oppose Iran-backed Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.
One wonders whether diplomacy will now focus on working out an exit option for the regime or ensure an orderly transition.
On Friday, Syrian Foreign Minister Bassam Sabbagh met in Baghdad with his Iraqi and Iranian counterparts, warning that the offensive threatens regional stability.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein condemned the offensive, and said Iraq “cannot be part of any war”.
Syria’s civil war has killed more than 500,000 people and forced more than half the population to flee their homes.
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