In southern Syria, the government loses control of Daraa and a border crossing with Jordan

4 mins

These uprisings observed in the south, in an area which seemed under the control of the regime, mark a major turning point. Unlike what is happening in the north with the advance of Islamist factions, here it is former members of the Free Syrian Army who have taken up arms again and who seem to seize many localities with great ease. They even took the Jaber border post, reports our correspondent Mohamed Errami.

It is a strategic crossing point which today escapes the government of Bashar al-Assad, as Abou Adel, a soldier in the Free Syrian Army, explains. “ Opposition factions have been planning for this day for years, and without their plans, the Syrian forces and the Iranians would not have fallen so quickly. We tell everyone: we will continue our journey because we are right. We said, even when we were defeated, that we had rights in Syria, and today, when we won, we also say that we will obtain our rights “.

Jordan closed the border crossing citing “ security concerns linked to growing tensions in southern Syria “. Only Jordanians and Jordanian trucks are allowed to return, while traffic to Syria is prohibited.

Still in the south of the country, the town of Daraa, one of the centers of the 2011 revolutionhas also fallen into the hands of the insurgents, who announce that they control more than 40 crossing points in the region. Faced with this progression, in the southeastern town of Soueida, Syrian officials, including the governor, police and prison chiefs, have reportedly left their offices, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights .

Rebels also advance towards the Golan

Rebel factions have also moved closer to the Golan. Around Kuneitra, for example, they would be less than a kilometer from the border with Israel, according to the opposition. The Israeli army announces that it is strengthening its deployment in the Golan Heights, all along the border with Syria, reports our correspondent in Jerusalem, Michael Paul.

The Israeli military indicates that it maintains a high level of preparation in this sector and monitors the situation very closely in order to defend the interests and sovereignty of the country. Israeli officials have increased security assessments over the past 24 hours. At this point, they assure residents that there is no immediate danger to report.

Israel particularly monitors the activities of Iran, which in its eyes presents the greatest threat to its security. And it is in this context that two border posts between Syria and Lebanon were bombed on the morning of December 6. In Israel, it is estimated that the coming days, even hours, will be critical for the future of Syria and probably the entire Middle East.

The Syrian army tries to react in the north

For its part, the Syrian army announces an offensive in the north of the country. On the evening of December 6, she called on the civilians of Manbij to evacuate this large city 30 km from Turkey and around a hundred km from Aleppo. Manbij, a town administered by Kurdish FDS forces who are not allied with the Islamist rebels of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, but who have also gained territory, to the east for example, in Deir Ezzor where government troops withdrew.

Note that according to the Emirati channel, Sky News Arabia, Russia, which supports Bashar el-Assad with air strikes, has informed Damascus that its interventions will remain limited. The United States is calling on its nationals to leave the country. “ The US State Department urges US citizens to leave Syria immediately, while commercial travel options remain available », Declare the American authorities in a message published on social networks.

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