Image copyright AFP Image caption Several people were reportedly killed in an air strike on the rebel town of Nawa, north of Deraa

Syria's army has launched an assault on rebel-held areas of the divided city of Deraa, after making significant gains elsewhere in the country's south-west.

State media said troops had stepped up their bombardment ahead of an operation to take the road linking Deraa with the nearby Jordanian border.

Earlier, they cut in half a strip of rebel-held territory running north from the city by capturing two key towns.

Some 45,000 people have been displaced by the fighting in the past week.

The south-west has been relatively calm since last July because of a "de-escalation" agreement brokered by the US and Jordan, which support the opposition, and Russia, a key ally of the government.

However, President Bashar al-Assad has set his sights on retaking it since defeating rebels in the Eastern Ghouta region outside Damascus in April.

On Tuesday morning, Syria's state news agency Sana reported that the army and allied militias had seized the towns of Busra al-Hariri and Malihat al-Atash, about 30km (19 miles) north-east of Deraa.

There was no comment from rebel sources, but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) confirmed the government had taken the towns overnight and cut off a rebel-held area to the north of them.

The UK-based monitoring group said the advance came after hundreds of air strikes by Russian warplanes and helicopters on rebel positions in the al-Lujat area.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption State media said the Syrian army had retaken hundreds of square kilometres in the al-Lujat area

Later, state media announced that "terrorist positions and fortifications" in Deraa were being targeted "before military units advance into the south-eastern quarter".

"The regime is seeking to take control of a military base south of the city, which will allow it to cut the route between Deraa city and the Jordanian border, as well as further divide the rebel areas," the SOHR's director, Rami Abdul Rahman, told AFP news agency.

As well as being the main city in a region that borders Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Deraa is where the uprising against President Assad began in 2011.

At least 29 rebels and 24 pro-government fighters had been killed since troops stepped up air and artillery strikes on Deraa and Quneitra provinces last week, according to the SOHR. At least 32 civilians have also reportedly lost their lives.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Rebel-held areas in the divided city of Deraa are coming under heavy attack

UN officials said on Tuesday that another 45,000 people had fled the fighting and that they expected the figure to more than double if the violence escalated. The region is home to an estimated 750,000 people.

Many of those displaced are heading towards the border with Jordan, but its government has warned that crossings will remain closed and that it will be unable to host a new wave of refugees because of the strain it would place on its financial resources and infrastructure.

The kingdom has already taken in 666,000 refugees registered with the UN since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, but it has said the actual number of Syrians in Jordan is closer to 1.3 million.

Image copyright AFP Image caption At least 45,000 civilians have fled the fighting in south-western Syria

Jordan has joined the US in calling for the "de-escalation" agreement covering Deraa and neighbouring Quneitra province to be preserved in order to prevent a wider confrontation between Israel and Iran.

Washington has warned the Syrian government that it will take "firm and appropriate measures", but told rebel commanders that it would not intervene to protect them.

Iran is an ally of Mr Assad and has deployed hundreds of troops to Syria. Thousands of militiamen armed, trained and financed by Iran - mostly from Lebanon's Hezbollah movement, but also Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen - have also been fighting alongside the Syrian army.

Israel has vowed to stop what it considers Iran's military "entrenchment" in Syria and has carried out dozens of missiles strikes on Iranian military and militia positions, as well as weapons shipments.

On Tuesday, Sana reported that two Israeli missiles hit an area near Damascus international airport overnight. It gave no details, but the SOHR reported that the Israeli missiles had struck a Hezbollah arms depot.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which usually refuses to confirm or deny such reports.</s>BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army has seized a chunk of territory from rebels in the southwest, Syrian state media and a war monitor said on Tuesday, the first major government advance in an offensive near the Jordanian border which has displaced tens of thousands.

Meanwhile two Israeli missiles hit near Damascus airport overnight, state news agency SANA and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said. An Israeli military spokesman declined to comment on the reports.

SANA said the missile strikes near Damascus international airport were a sign of support by Israel for the rebels in the southwest.

Syria’s southwest region is strategically sensitive because of its proximity to the frontiers with both Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The United States and Russia, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s most powerful ally, last year agreed a “de-escalation” zone in the area that has helped to contain the violence there.

SANA and media outlets run by Damascus ally Hezbollah said the Syrian army had taken control of the town of Busra al-Harir, the nearby Laja area and was now advancing further south.

The capture of the area cut across an opposition-held finger of territory in northeastern Deraa province, where Assad has pressed his assault despite U.S. warnings.

The United States has told Syrian rebel factions they should not expect military support to help resist the offensive, according to a copy of a message sent by Washington to the commanders of rebel Free Syrian Army groups in the area.

The United States has repeatedly warned Assad against violating the de-escalation zone, saying it would have serious repercussions and pledging “firm and appropriate measures.”

There was no statement from rebel groups about the government advances.

At least 45,000 people have fled the fighting in the southwest, heading towards the border with Jordan, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

“We expect the number of displaced people could more than double as violence escalates,” Bettina Luescher, spokeswoman for the U.N.’s World Food Programme (WFP), said.

WFP had provided food to 30,000 people and plans to deliver more in the coming days over the border from Jordan, she said.

The Observatory said the overnight Israeli strikes targeted warehouses belonging to non-Syrian militias loyal to the Syrian government which contained an arms shipment from Iran.

Iran is a leading ally of Assad and backs several militias, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, fighting in support of him.

Israel, concerned that Iran’s growing presence in Syria is a threat to its safety, has struck dozens of Iranian and Iran-backed positions in Syria over the course of the seven-year conflict.</s>BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army has seized a chunk of territory from rebels in the southwest, Syrian state media and a war monitor said on Tuesday, the first major government advance in an offensive near the Jordanian border which has displaced tens of thousands.

Meanwhile two Israeli missiles hit near Damascus airport overnight, state news agency SANA and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said. An Israeli military spokesman declined to comment on the reports.

SANA said the missile strikes near Damascus international airport were a sign of support by Israel for the rebels in the southwest.

Syria’s southwest region is strategically sensitive because of its proximity to the frontiers with both Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The United States and Russia, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s most powerful ally, last year agreed a “de-escalation” zone in the area that has helped to contain the violence there.

SANA and media outlets run by Damascus ally Hezbollah said the Syrian army had taken control of the town of Busra al-Harir, the nearby Laja area and was now advancing further south.

The capture of the area cut across an opposition-held finger of territory in northeastern Deraa province, where Assad has pressed his assault despite U.S. warnings.

The United States has told Syrian rebel factions they should not expect military support to help resist the offensive, according to a copy of a message sent by Washington to the commanders of rebel Free Syrian Army groups in the area.

The United States has repeatedly warned Assad against violating the de-escalation zone, saying it would have serious repercussions and pledging “firm and appropriate measures.”

There was no statement from rebel groups about the government advances.

At least 45,000 people have fled the fighting in the southwest, heading toward the border with Jordan, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

“We expect the number of displaced people could more than double as violence escalates,” Bettina Luescher, spokeswoman for the U.N.’s World Food Programme (WFP), said.

WFP had provided food to 30,000 people and plans to deliver more in the coming days over the border from Jordan, she said.

The Observatory said the overnight Israeli strikes targeted warehouses belonging to non-Syrian militias loyal to the Syrian government which contained an arms shipment from Iran.

Iran is a leading ally of Assad and backs several militias, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, fighting in support of him.

Israel, concerned that Iran’s growing presence in Syria is a threat to its safety, has struck dozens of Iranian and Iran-backed positions in Syria over the course of the seven-year conflict.</s>BEIRUT: The Syrian army has seized a chunk of territory from rebels in the southwest, Syrian state media and a war monitor said on Tuesday (Jun 26), the first major government advance in an offensive near the Jordanian border which has displaced tens of thousands.

Meanwhile two Israeli missiles hit near Damascus airport overnight, state news agency SANA and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said. An Israeli military spokesman declined to comment on the reports.

SANA said the missile strikes near Damascus international airport were a sign of support by Israel for the rebels in the southwest.

Syria's southwest region is strategically sensitive because of its proximity to the frontiers with both Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The United States and Russia, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's most powerful ally, last year agreed a "de-escalation" zone in the area that has helped to contain the violence there.

SANA and media outlets run by Damascus ally Hezbollah said the Syrian army had taken control of the town of Busra al-Harir, the nearby Laja area and was now advancing further south.

The capture of the area cut across an opposition-held finger of territory in northeastern Deraa province, where Assad has pressed his assault despite US warnings.

The United States has told Syrian rebel factions they should not expect military support to help resist the offensive, according to a copy of a message sent by Washington to the commanders of rebel Free Syrian Army groups in the area.

The United States has repeatedly warned Assad against violating the de-escalation zone, saying it would have serious repercussions and pledging "firm and appropriate measures."

There was no statement from rebel groups about the government advances.

At least 45,000 people have fled the fighting in the southwest, heading towards the border with Jordan, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

"We expect the number of displaced people could more than double as violence escalates," Bettina Luescher, spokeswoman for the UN's World Food Programme (WFP), said.

WFP had provided food to 30,000 people and plans to deliver more in the coming days over the border from Jordan, she said.

The Observatory said the overnight Israeli strikes targeted warehouses belonging to non-Syrian militias loyal to the Syrian government which contained an arms shipment from Iran.

Iran is a leading ally of Assad and backs several militias, including Lebanon's Hezbollah, fighting in support of him.

Israel, concerned that Iran's growing presence in Syria is a threat to its safety, has struck dozens of Iranian and Iran-backed positions in Syria over the course of the seven-year conflict.</s>BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army has seized a chunk of territory from rebels in the southwest, Syrian state media and a war monitor said on Tuesday, the first major government advance in an offensive near the Jordanian border which has displaced tens of thousands.

Meanwhile two Israeli missiles hit near Damascus airport overnight, state news agency SANA and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said. An Israeli military spokesman declined to comment on the reports.

SANA said the missile strikes near Damascus international airport were a sign of support by Israel for the rebels in the southwest.

Syria’s southwest region is strategically sensitive because of its proximity to the frontiers with both Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The United States and Russia, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s most powerful ally, last year agreed a “de-escalation” zone in the area that has helped to contain the violence there.

SANA and media outlets run by Damascus ally Hezbollah said the Syrian army had taken control of the town of Busra al-Harir, the nearby Laja area and was now advancing further south.

The capture of the area cut across an opposition-held finger of territory in northeastern Deraa province, where Assad has pressed his assault despite U.S. warnings.

The United States has told Syrian rebel factions they should not expect military support to help resist the offensive, according to a copy of a message sent by Washington to the commanders of rebel Free Syrian Army groups in the area.

The United States has repeatedly warned Assad against violating the de-escalation zone, saying it would have serious repercussions and pledging “firm and appropriate measures.”

There was no statement from rebel groups about the government advances.

At least 45,000 people have fled the fighting in the southwest, heading toward the border with Jordan, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

“We expect the number of displaced people could more than double as violence escalates,” Bettina Luescher, spokeswoman for the U.N.’s World Food Programme (WFP), said.

WFP had provided food to 30,000 people and plans to deliver more in the coming days over the border from Jordan, she said.

The Observatory said the overnight Israeli strikes targeted warehouses belonging to non-Syrian militias loyal to the Syrian government which contained an arms shipment from Iran.

Iran is a leading ally of Assad and backs several militias, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, fighting in support of him.

Israel, concerned that Iran’s growing presence in Syria is a threat to its safety, has struck dozens of Iranian and Iran-backed positions in Syria over the course of the seven-year conflict.</s>Syrian military launches assault on Daraa, forcing at least 45,000 to flee towards Jordan

Syrian troops have launched a major offensive against rebels and Jordan says it will not open its border to tens of thousands of civilians fleeing the attack.

At least 45,000 people have fled the upsurge in fighting in Syria's south-western Daraa province, heading towards the border with Jordan, the United Nations said.

President Bashar al-Assad is aiming to restore control over a strategically vital part of Syria at the borders with Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, building on his military's momentum elsewhere in the seven-year conflict.

Government forces opened a new front on Tuesday (local time) against the rebel-held part of Daraa city, the provincial capital, state media reported.

A commander in the regional alliance that backs Mr Assad told Reuters the aim was to reach the Nassib crossing with Jordan, an economic artery in rebel hands since 2015.

Mr Assad is pressing the offensive with Russian support despite warnings from the United States, which has been seeking to uphold a "de-escalation" deal it brokered with Moscow in the south-west last year.

Washington had warned Mr Assad of serious repercussions.

But Washington has told Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebels they should not expect military support against the offensive, according to a message sent to rebel commanders seen by Reuters.

The war has pivoted towards the south-west since Mr Assad, backed by Russian and Iranian military power, crushed the last insurgent pockets near the cities of Damascus and Homs.

In the first big advance in the south-west, government forces seized a swathe of rebel-held territory including the town of Busra al-Harir in north-eastern Daraa province, media controlled by Lebanon's Hezbollah and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

There was no statement from rebel groups about the reported government advances.

State media said government warplanes and artillery were also targeting the rebel-held sector of Daraa city at the Jordanian border, aiming to cut the supply road to Jordan.

Air strikes hit the rebel-held town of Nawa for the first time in nearly a year, the Observatory said.

The attack has fuelled concern of a new wave of displacement in a conflict that has already uprooted 11 million people, forcing millions abroad as refugees.

Jens Laerke, spokesman of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that civilians including children had been killed and injured and a hospital had been put out of operation by an air strike.

The number of displaced so far stood at 45,000, he said.

"People don't know where to go," said Ahmad al-Dbis, safety and security manager at UOSSM, a medical charity that works in opposition parts of Syria.

He said five of the aid group's facilities in the south, including a mobile clinic and a healthcare centre, went out of service during the latest clashes.

The UN's World Food Program has provided food to 30,000 people and plans to deliver more in the coming days over the border from Jordan, said spokeswoman Bettina Luescher.

Jordan will keep its borders shut and the UN can help displaced Syrians in their own country, Jordan's foreign minister said.

"The Jordanian contacts over southern Syria aim to stem bloodshed … and help the displaced inside Syria," Ayman Safadi said on Twitter.

"We do all we can to help the brothers and we protect our interests and our security."

A rebel source said Jordanian authorities, citing safety, have warned factions there not to allow refugee flows next to the border, which has in effect been closed for years.</s>As of the earliest morning hours of Wednesday June 27th, we have the following report made exclusively for FRN:The Syrian Army has been on a rampage in southern Syria against terrorist forces, showing no mercy andfrom the clutches of US-backed jihadists.The Syrian Army launched its operations against terrorist forces a week ago in the southern Syrian province of Dara'a in a bid to clear a huge chunk of the Syrian-Jordanian border.The Syrian Army thus far has liberatedfrom terrorist forces, mostly concentrated on the rocky plateau of the Al-Lajat region of eastern Dara'a province. After liberating this region and the villages within it, the elite Tiger Forces of the Syrian Army yesterday began a night assault on Al-Qaeda affiliated Al-Nusra positions in the key town of Busra al-Harir.The liberation of Busra al-Harir now means that the Tiger Forces can now concentrate their attacks on the town of Al-Hirak, one of the most important towns in the eastern Dara'a countryside.Away from the eastern countryside, the elite 4th Mechanized Units and the Republican Guards of the Syrian Army have began their assault to liberate the southern districts of Dara'a city. The Syrian Army for years has controlled the northern districts but have not been able to crack jihadist defenses to liberate the rest of the city. However,Thus far, the Syrian Arab Army has attempted to liberate silos and a Palestinian refugee camp in Dara'a countryside.Meanwhile, in the western countryside, the Syrian Army have not yet attempted to liberate any territory or towns. It is assumed this will begin once the eastern countryside is secured. The western countryside contains much larger towns, and the bulk of Al-Nusra fighters as well as ISIS.</s>Fighting escalated in southern Syria as government forces on Tuesday pushed deeper into rebel-held territories in Daraa province under the cover of airstrikes. The United Nations estimated that up to 50,000 people have been displaced by the weeklong offensive.

Jordan said its borders will remain closed for any new refugees, calling on the U.N. to provide security in southern Syria.

Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said aid officials were "deeply concerned" for those fleeing the fighting and heading toward the sealed border with Jordan. He called on warring parties to "ensure the protection of these civilians, according to international law."

Daraa's residents described living in extreme fear and said many had also headed to the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, believing it to be safer.

The escalation in Daraa, near the border with Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, came as Syria's state media reported that two Israeli missiles struck an area near the Damascus International Airport early on Tuesday, without naming a specific target.

Since last Tuesday, Syrian troops have targeted rebel-held areas in eastern Daraa, one of the country's last major rebel strongholds.

The strategic area was part of a truce deal reached last July between the United States, Russia and Jordan.

The offensive's goal appears to be regaining control of the border crossing with Jordan, which has been in rebel hands since 2015.President Bashar Assad's recent military victories, including the capture of Damascus suburbs and southern neighborhoods, have propelled the push.

Opposition activists said Syrian and Russian warplanes are taking part in the offensive. Russia's air force threw its weight behind Assad's forces in 2015, turning the tide of the war in his favor.

On Tuesday, the pro-government Central Military Media said Syrian troops gained control of al-Lujat, a rocky area in northeastern Daraa. It said the capture would have a domino effect on other parts east of Daraa and cut rebel supply lines.

Other pro-government media said the army intends to bring the entire province under its control and is likely to move on to western Daraa, where it has conducted a series of airstrikes Monday.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war-monitoring group, reported that government troops were advancing in al-Lujat and captured seven new villages in the area.

Daraa-based opposition activist Osama Hourani denied the government controlled parts of al-Lujat, saying the area, known for its caves and rocky plains, will be a challenge for Assad's troops.

Waseem Kiwan, a 36-year old civilian in the village of Tafas north of Daraa city said nothing is spared in the intensive bombing campaign, including makeshift hospitals, civil defense centers and U.N. affiliated offices.

"The area is heading toward a catastrophe, a humanitarian catastrophe in every sense of the word," he said. "People are living in extreme fear."

Kiwan said many are heading toward the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

"The safest place is the border with Israel because the regime and Russian airplanes cannot strike the area near the Israeli border," he said.

Younis Shtawi, a police officer in the Daraa village of Umm al-Mayadeen, said several villages, including Busra al-Harir, Atesh and communities in al-Lujat have been emptied of people in recent days.

"No one stayed," Shtawi said.

The U.S. has said the Syrian offensive risked broadening the conflict and called on Russia to end what it called violations of the truce.

Israel has also carried out a series of strikes recently on Syrian and Iranian forces in the area, warning against the expansion of Iran's role in Syria. Iranian advisers and Iran-backed militias are embedded with Syrian troops.

The U.N. World Food Program put the number of displaced from the Daraa fighting at nearly 50,000, saying it has delivered urgently-needed food across the Syria-Jordan border in the west. It said the fighting closed supply routes, causing a spike in prices of fuel and other basic supplies.

"We're sleeping in the open air, under the trees, in the mosques and schools. Those lucky to find a tent have to share it with four or five other families," a displaced man named Nidal told WFP.

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi urged the U.N. to provide security in southern Syria. "Our borders will remain closed," Safadi wrote on his Twitter account.

Jordan is already hosting about 660,000 registered Syrian refugees and estimates that the number of displaced Syrians in the overburdened country is twice as high.

Tuesday's attack near the Damascus airport were the latest blamed on Israel. Such strikes have increased in frequency amid soaring tensions between Israel and Iran, a major Assad ally.

State news agency SANA said the strike came shortly after midnight Monday. The Observatory said Israeli jets flew over the Golan Heights and targeted suspected weapons depots for Iranian-backed militias near the Damascus airport. There were no reports of casualties.

There was no immediate comment from Israel, which rarely responds to the claims.

SANA linked the strike to the Daraa offensive, saying it comes amid "major losses" for the rebels and repeating the government's claims that Israel supports "terrorists" operating within Syria.</s>At least 29 people were killed over the past 24 hours in attacks carried out by the Assad regime in Syria’s southern Daraa province.

On Monday evening, the regime and its allies launched a ground offensive -- supported by Russian air power -- following four earlier attempts to storm Daraa’s northeastern town of Busra al-Harir.

Recent days have seen Syrian regime forces and their Iran-backed allies advance to the town’s outskirts, where they have continued to clash with armed opposition groups.

According to local civil-defense sources, at least 29 people have been killed by repeated regime attacks, especially in the towns of Busra al-Harir, Al-Hirak, Al-Sourah and Nahtah.

Busra al-Harir is of particular strategic value, as it represents the only means of accessing Daraa’s eastern countryside.

While airstrikes in support of the operation began about 10 days ago, they have reportedly intensified over the last 48 hours.</s>Air strikes and ground fighting in southern Syria have forced at least 45,000 people to flee, the United Nations said on Tuesday, the largest displacement in the area so far.

Backed by Russia, Syrian government forces have ramped up air strikes and ground attacks on rebel positions in the south, particularly its main province of Daraa.

"Our estimates are 45,000, maybe even higher," said Linda Tom, spokeswoman for the UN humanitarian coordination office (OCHA) in Syria.

The displacements have been happening increasingly fast in recent days as violence has escalated, Tom said.

"Over the last couple of days we saw a very large number of people who fled because of the ongoing hostilities, because of the shelling and fighting in that area," she told AFP.

The majority are fleeing from the eastern parts of Daraa province south towards the sealed border with Jordan, which has said it cannot absorb any more refugees.

"We haven't seen massive displacement in this scale in Daraa," Tom said.

The UN had previously warned that fighting was putting 750,000 people in rebel-held areas of the south in harm's way.

More than five million people have fled abroad since the Syrian conflict erupted in 2011. Another six million are displaced inside the country.
Syrian Army troops and Liwa al-Quds militiamen seize control of the strategic town of Busra al-Harir in the southern Daraa Governorate. Around 45,000 people have been displaced in the region due to recent fighting.