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ISIS is on the verge of full collapse in southern Syria. Over the past few days, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) led by the 4th Armoured Division and the Tiger Forces, have liberated over 30 villages and settlements from the terrorist group in the area west of Daraa city.
Government troops have liberated the towns of Saham al-Jawlan, Tasil, Hayt and Adwan, the villages of al-Jumou and Maziraa as well as multiple nearby points. Then, they also advanced in the direction of al-Shajara, which is one of the few remaining ISIS strong points.
A source in the 4th Armoured Division told SouthFront that over 600 ISIS members have been eliminated by the SAA, backed up by the Russian Aerospace Forces, since the start of the operation in the ISIS-held pocket.
75 ISIS members have been killed in the recent clashes between the SAA and ISIS in eastern al-Suwayda, according to the province’s governor Amer al-Ashi. He added that many civilians are still missing following the large-scale ISIS attack. According to the updated data, the civilian death toll as a result of the July 25 incident has grown to 215.
Hayyat Tahrir Ahrar al-Sham, Jabhat Tahrir Suriya, Suqour al-Sham and Faylaq al-Sham agreed to set up joint operational headquarters to prepare an attack on government forces positions in the Idlib de-escalation zone, the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Warring Parties in Syria says. According to the Center, the attack may be carried out “simultaneously in several directions – the mountains of northern Latakia, al-Ghab valley on the border of Hama and Idlib provinces and areas west of Aleppo”.
According to Syrian sources, up to 6,000 members of militant groups could be involved in the expected attack. The Russian side is also expecting new provocations involving chlorine and other poisoning substances in the case of renewed clashes between the SAA and the militants.
On July 26, Aldar Khalil, co-president of the executive body of the Movement for a Democratic Society (TEV-DEM), told the Kurdish Rudaw TV that Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria are ready to participate in any military operation of the SAA in the province of Idlib if this brings them closer to retaking the Kurdish area of Afrin from Turkey-led forces.
TEV-DEM is a coalition of several Kurdish parties in northeastern Syria, including the well-known Democratic Union Party (PYD). Together these parties lead the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), which is the political wing of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Khalil’s statement is another indication of the SDC’s attempts to improve relations with the Assad government, which have become complicated because of the tensions between Damascus and the US-led coalition.
Here are some fascinating excerpts from a recent interview with Bashar al-Assad about the situation in Syria:
https://viableopposition.blogspot.com/2018/06/syrias-civil-war-and-bashar-al-assads.html
While there is little doubt that the Assad regime has treated some of its citizens badly, the United States has demonstrated that its plans for regime change and the imposition of “Democracy, Western-Style” have been a complete failure in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. As well, there is little to suggest that replacing Bashar al-Assad with a hand-picked pro-American successor will prove successful, particularly for the Syrian people.
“regime change and the imposition of “Democracy, Western-Style” have been a complete failure in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya”
Complete failure? Not at all. Spreading chaos was the Hegemon’s aim and in that it was very successful. The MIC and lobbyists have all benefited too. “Democracy, Western style’ means economic subjugation and/or ‘democracy bombs’ in an R2P wrapper aimed at water and sanitation and other strategic infrastructure.
The Western war criminals attempt to create a new Iraq in Syria
http://bit.ly/2JL1Elc
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201807271066745673-syrian-army-preparing-idlib-ops-source/
As it says….
Syrian Army begins last push in southwest Syria – map
https://mobile.almasdarnews.com/article/syrian-army-begins-last-push-in-southwest-syria-map/
“The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) is making their last push in southwest Syria after liberating most of the Yarmouk Basin region.
Led by the Tiger Forces, the Syrian Arab Army has begun storming the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/Daesh) held towns of Nafiaa’ and Shajarah in the southern part of the Yarmouk Basin region of Daraa.
According to a military source in Daraa, the Syrian Arab Army has already entered Nafiaa’ after breaking through the Islamic State’s lines at the northern part of the town.
The source added that the Syrian Arab Army and ISIS-affiliated Jaysh Khaled bin Walid are engaged in a fierce battle for Nafiaa’.
Once these two towns are liberated, the Syrian Arab Army will move towards the southern mountains that the Islamic State is currently in control of.
At these mountains in southwest Daraa, the Islamic State is expected to make their final stand against the Syrian Arab Army.
However, the likelihood that the Islamic State forces hold onto these mountains is very slim, given the Syrian Arab Army’s air superiority and sophisticated missile arsenal.
With most of their forces already moving north towards the Idlib and Latakia governorates, the Syrian Army is hoping to conclude this operation in southern Syria by the end of the month.”
ISIS Pocket Adjoining Israeli Occupied Golan Heights Down to Five Tiny Villages.
” The battle for Yarmouk basin is winding down, the TFs together with RGs and some Daraa Province militants have liberated the largest villages left in the basin, Nafiyah and al Shajarah. Two more villages are about to be announced liberated, Jamlah and Abidin.
Approximate ISIS pocket shrunk to 5 small villages/hamlets, the whole area may be freed by early tomorrow.” (Canthama)
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=32.778038&lon=35.868645&z=12&m=b&gz=0;357558631;327267866;782775;791023;1395606;177608;1301193;0;789642;51986;525283;106858;0;236803
Russia Swats Away Israeli Bluster On Syria
https://orientalreview.org/2018/07/27/russia-swats-away-israeli-bluster-on-syria/
“The Russian version of the visit by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chief of Staff General Valery Gerasimov to West Jerusalem on July 23 became available, finally, on Wednesday in the nature of a terse TASS report quoting a ‘military-diplomatic’ source in Moscow as saying that the visiting Russian officials “looked into the tasks of completing the anti-terrorist operation in Syria’s South.”
An unnamed Israeli official had earlier floated a story that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did some tough talking with Lavrov and “rebuffed” a Russian offer to create a 100-kilometre buffer zone adjacent to Golan Heights. Netanyahu reportedly insisted that he won’t be satisfied with anything short of Iran ending its presence in Syria conclusively.
The first indication that the talks didn’t go well came when Israel shot down a Syrian jet on July 24 in Quneitra bordering Golan. It was a calculated act of belligerence by Israel. (The Islamic State fighters who are present in the region have since released the photograph of the wreckage and the mutilated body of the Syrian pilot.)
The TASS report on July 25 punctures the Israeli version that the two Russian officials were deputed by President Vladimir Putin specially to discuss with Netanyahu the future of Iranian presence in Syria. (It now transpires that the Russian officials were on a tour of Israel, Germany and France.) The Israeli bravado can only be seen as a desperate ploy to cover up its humiliating defeat in Syria with the terrorist groups that were its proxies surrendering lock, stock and barrel in Daraa and Quneitra to the Syrian-Russian forces – especially the hasty exfiltration of the controversial group known as the White Helmets to Jordan via Golan Heights with the logistical help from the Israeli military.”
The original US-Russia-Jordan (+ Israel) deal (July 21017) for the SW DEZ has been “restructured” by Russia.
The essence of the DEZ agreements is that militants will stand down, surrender the heavy weapons and allow Russian MPs to bring administrative order sufficient that humanitarian and medical services could be brought to the zone.
The US failed to enforce order.
Russia enforces order in the other three zones.
So, Russia and Syria analyzed their military enforcement needs, and Russian aerospace struck hard, everywhere, including within what was once the Israeli buffer along the border.
In fact, Russia struck on the Israeli side and told Israel that it would kill the terrorists anywhere they went on their side. Israel decided that White Helmets (covering ISIS skulls) had to be rescued out.
Then the usual Israeli arrogance had to be demonstrated and they shot down a Syrian plane.
Obviously, the Russians fly similar planes and would indicate to the Israelis that any “accident” would be answered in kind. While the IDF brags a woman soldier did the shootdown, the IDF received the message that all had changed. The US could not protect them. The SW was going to be cleansed of proxy fighters and the border was to be controlled by Syrian forces.
The US, feckless in the SW, feckless in the Northeast, is ‘stammering and stuttering’ about leaving al Tanf while defending the thousands of ISIS they have stored there (to storm Damascus, was the plan). So, all they have left is suicide bombings. Deadly, but futile militarily.
Russia has made it very clear to all the geopolitical “partners” it deals with that the remaining terrorists will all be killed by Russian and Syria forces. And it is clear, all the borders will be in Syrian control sooner than most experts think. Turkey and Idlib await this strategic goal. Erdogan is suddenly working with US to try to protect his proxies in the North, while the US-Israeli proxies (SDF Kurds) are negotiating accommodation with Syria and Russia.
Stay tuned. Idlib has 30,000 terrorists, maybe many more. And Erdogan will have to use his own forces to save his proxies. His only alternative is to run into the embrace of the power (US) who barely missed assassinating him. The knives are still out for Erdogan, and that embrace will be his last if he chooses the US over Russia. No place to run. No place to hide.
I hope Russia enjoyed disciplining the worlds mental and moral superturd. IMHO, The US needs to go through the same collapse process that the Soviet Union went through in order to become “disciplined”
Kissinger argued that the United States, which sought to profit from the enmity between Moscow and Beijing in the Cold War era, would therefore need “to play this balance-of-power game totally unemotionally. Right now, we need the Chinese to correct the Russians and to discipline the Russians.” But in the future, it would be the other way around.
https://orientalreview.org/2018/07/24/us-russia-china-triangle-in-flux-again/
Elijah Elijah J. Magnier on a very sophisticated ISIS attack on Seweida launched with tacit American support, which delivered a warning to Russia and Syria:
“This massacre proved there are ISIS leaders who can think, plan and execute a complicated objective (two superpower forces present in the area). That was a heavy alarm for the Syrian forces to remain on alert and eliminate ISIS completely from all liberated areas and secure their protection. The numerous victories registered in the last 12 months lowered the defence of the winners, disregarding the US factor that can hit under the belt when the opportunity arises. After all, this massacre was an opportunity for the US to show Damascus and Moscow’s failure to keep and protect its victory.”
ISIS Suweida Attack is a Message to its Branch in Quneitra, and to Russia and Damascus
https://syria360.wordpress.com/2018/07/26/isis-suweida-attack-is-a-message-to-its-branch-in-quneitra-and-to-russia-and-damascus/
“After all, this massacre was an opportunity for the US to show Damascus and Moscow’s failure to keep and protect its victory.”
No, it was terrorism. One can run a terrorist attack just about anywhere. The only way to prevent such attacks is total police state control. One can do this terrorism right now in your neighborhood, anonymous. You, your family and friends can be blown away the same way and there is nothing to prevent it short of a total lockdown police state existence. Is this how you want to live (assuming you live outside israel)?
Preventing terrorism in war zones is many times more difficult than in normal situations. Condemning/blaming the victims here is aiding the terrorist enablers and orchestrators.
Ongoing Dialogue Between Damascus & SDF.
” Too many reports from the recent meeting held in Damascus by SDF and the Syrian Gov’t, most of them are pure speculations. There is no official statement yet from both sides, only small quotes on what happened and even that fall into some different interpretation.
What could be shared though is that the talks went well, agreements were made that will need to be followed with actions in the next few days/weeks.
We have shared here at SyrPer that tangible progress was happening between the Syrian Gov’t and SDF for over a month, with focus on Hasaka, Qamishli and Raqqa areas of influence. Some large Syrian Gov’t groups were sent to many places and some actual co-work started to happen at Tabqa and Tishrin Dams, some Hasaka city neighbourhoods, Qamishili city and a deep assessment of damages in Raqqa and Tabqa cities, both cities are key to the region and were brutally destroyed. Some Syrian engineers were sent to some oil fields in Deir ez Zour to assess the situation on fixing them, most of the fields are not operationable and demand investment to fix them all and connect them back to the pipelines or won;t be financially viable (ISIS took oil by trucks to Turkey then Israel, that was financially sound to ISIS because it was stolen oil, so basically free cash flow to them).
In the next few days we will hear some official statements and before that we will hear the confirmation of the 1 month old engagements related to Raqqa, Hasaka and Qamishli.
Besides that there is clear signs of the local council in Manbij to advance reconciliation with the Syrian Gov’t, this is a separate effort on going.
Important to note that Russia and Iran are playing a role on this talks as well, the Syrian Gov’t is dealing from a position of strength and is not in hurry to cut any deal that will regret later, the top priority after the liberation all of southern Syria is NW Syria, to clean NE Lattakia, northern Hama, Idlib and western Aleppo from terrorism, for that it will be a mix of military offensive (largest SAA army ever assembled in 7 years) and reconciliation. Al Qaeda terrorists are known to occupy all of the border area between Syria and Turkey from NE Lattakia and Idlib Province, controlling the key cities of Jisr al Shughour and Idlib.” (Canthama)