The Syrian military has opened a new front against the rebel-held part of Deraa city, a southwestern provincial capital. Syrian government forces launched both heavy artillery and airstrikes against militants, belonging to Islamist factions with links to Al-Qaeda, which are situated several kilometers from Syria’s border with Jordan. At least 45,000 people have reportedly fled the upsurge in fighting, heading towards the Hashemite Kingdom, yet Jordanian official emphasized that they will not open their country’s borders for the new influx of refugees. The United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs voiced alarm at the escalating hostilities, underscoring an “urgent need of shelter and humanitarian aid,” for the displaced Syrians. “We are deeply alarmed by the reports in recent days of escalating hostilities in Deraa governorate in southwestern Syria which are putting an estimated 750,000 people in danger. There are reports of deaths, injuries, including among children, due to the increased fighting and bombardments from the air. At least 45,000 people have reportedly been displaced, mostly from eastern Deraa governorate to areas near the border with Jordan. These displaced people are in urgent need of shelter and humanitarian aid,” United Nations OCHA Spokesman Jens Laerke said.
Meanwhile, the raging battles in southwestern Syria are also drawing closer to the border with Israel, as the Syrian military is preparing for a decisive offensive to regain control of its entire southwestern region. The IDF’s assessment is that Damascus is gearing to conquer the areas that border with Israel, a complex military operation that is likely to result in Syrian troops entering the buffer zone with Israel, which is one of the declared red-lines voiced by Jerusalem. Furthermore, the IDF anticipates the battles along Israel’s northern frontier will result in an uptick in the unintentional spillover of fire from Syria into Israeli territory, which is likely to result in Israeli military retaliation that will further ratchet up tensions in the region. Another voiced concern by Israel’s defense establishment is a scenario in which Iranian-backed militants may be deployed along Israel’s frontier, while disguised as Syrian army troops. Israeli intelligence has been monitoring the recent developments on the ground in order to anticipate the future military operations by Syria and the implications of those operations for the IDF.
Israel’s Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman held a phone conversation last night with his American counterpart, US Secretary of Defense James Mattis. During their conversation, the American top defense official stressed Washington’s concern about an escalation in Syria. Secretary Mattis reportedly stressed to his Israeli counterpart that the situation in Syria is currently perceived by the Trump administration as the most complex security challenge for the Jewish state, and promised to continue to cooperate closely with Minister Lieberman. An Israeli defense official said in response that the conversation is part of routine contact between the two top defense officials.