Russia threatens Daraa militants with airstrikes!

On Monday, several elders from the city of Tafas and the central council of the militants met with several senior officials of the Syrian Army’s Fourth Division. Russian troops also attended the meeting, which was held west of the city of Tafas. A pro-militant media claimed that during the meeting, the Syrian Army requested that members and leaders of the militants to be transferred to northwestern Syria. The names of some of the most important leaders of the militants who have been mentioned are Ayad al-Ghanim, Abu Omar al-Shughuri, Mu’iz al-Dhawbi, Muhammad Qasim al-Sabihi, Ayad al-Ja’ra and Muhammad al-Ibrahim.
By the end of this week, the final answer of the militants will be announced to the Syrian Army.

However, no agreement appears to have been reached and the Syrian Army clashed again with Tafas militants. But then clashes were stopped by the Russian mediatation. Russian military warned militants that its warplanes will bomb militant positions in southern Syria if the militants do not respond positively to the request from the Syrian Army to evacuate and hand over heavy weapons and transfer to Idlib.

• Conflict in Tafas town, south of Syria (Map)

A local source said that Khaldun al-Zaabi had sent a message to the Syrian government through some individuals stating that they would not comply to the Syrian Army demands and Russian threats and would not hand over their weapons until a new agreement was reached. They also demanded the withdrawal of Iranian-backed groups from Daraa province.

In recent months, the number of assassinations and bombings against the Syrian Army forces and former militants who have joined the process of national reconciliation has increased sharply, and the security situation in southern Syria, especially in Daraa province, has deteriorated. Therefore, after numerous assassinations of soldiers and civilians by the militants, the Syrian government has moved the 4th Army Division from the south of Damascus to the western suburbs of Daraa, and due to the continued sending of armored vehicles and artillery to southern Syria, the possibility of a limited military operation by the Syrian Army is very high.