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". 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. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which usually refuses to confirm or deny such reports. 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. 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. 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. 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 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. 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.
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.