DAMASCUS, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Intense battles are taking place in southern Syria between the Syrian government forces and an array of rebel groups amid the advance of the Syrian army, a monitor group reported on Sunday.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the intense battles are taking place in the eastern countryside of Daraa province in southern Syria for the sixth consecutive day, coupled with airstrikes and aerial bombardment on the positions of the rebels there.
The shelling and battles are focused on areas in the vicinity of the Busr al-Harir town and the al-Lajat area, where the Syrian government forces advanced and captured the town of Jadel, according to the Observatory.
The Britain-based watchdog group said both conflicting sides are exchanging fire in that part of the country.
Meanwhile, a well-informed source in Daraa told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that the Syrian army is advancing in the battles there and focusing on recapturing Busr al-Harir area due to its logistical significance in the eastern countryside of Daraa as it is in the middle between government-controlled areas in the adjacent Sweida province and the government-held ones in Daraa.
Capturing Busr al-Harir would also enable the army to lay a siege on several areas including al-Lajat in the northeastern countryside of Daraa.
This approach is called the "nibbling tactic", which the army uses to cut through rebel-held areas to isolate them from one another to facilitate the storming on them in a later stage.
The Syrian army has moved toward liberating areas in southern Syria after fully securing the capital Damascus and its countryside over the past few months.
But the situation there is not simple, as the areas in southern Syria such as in Daraa province, near Jordan and Qunitera, near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, are included in the de-escalation zones' deal, an internationally-backed ceasefire agreement.
However, the Islamic State (IS) group still holds some pockets in the countryside of Sweida province near Daraa and has also allied militant groups in Daraa as well as militants of the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front.
In addition, Daraa is important to the Syrian army as it links the capital with the Jordanian border. Also, Qunitera is important due to its proximity to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
For Damascus, both Jordan and Israel support the militants in Daraa and Qunitera and the move toward the southern front is crucial following the victories achieved by the army in key areas across the country, mainly in the capital.
Earlier in the day, the pro-government al-Watan newspaper said that the Syrian army is advancing in the battles in the northwestern countryside of Sweida and the northeastern countryside of Daraa, capturing several towns from the rebels.
Citing a military source, the newspaper said the battles are now taking place in the northwestern countryside of Sweida toward al-Lajat in northeastern Daraa and from another direction on the town Miskiyeh Busr al-Harir in the eastern countryside of Daraa.
The report said that Jordan is moving close to the border with Syria in anticipation of further escalation.
As many as 50 militant groups made up of 30,000 fighters are positioned in southern Syria and expected to face the Syrian army in its anticipated military assault.
The recent shelling and airstrikes are considered as a preliminary military act to pave the way for a massive assault in southern Syria and pressure the rebels to accept a reconciliation deal with the government following faltering Russian-Israeli agreement on the situation in southern Syria.
The deal between both sides was said to have focused on the withdrawal of Iranian-backed forces from areas in southern Syria, the evacuation of rebels from areas they control in Daraa and Qunitera, and the return of the army to border areas with Jordan and Golan Heights.
While the talks have been going on since last month, the Syrian army has been sending reinforcements to launch the offensive should the talks completely fail.
The al-Watan newspaper said earlier this week that the Israeli-Russian talks had failed, with Assad accusing Israel of hindering the settlement for the situation in southern Syria as it supports the rebels in the area and prevents them from agreeing to leave.
