Assad launches assault on birthplace of Syrian uprising

Syrian forces launched an unprecedented attack on the southern province of Deraa - birthplace of the Syrian uprising - on Thursday, threatening a Russian-backed reconciliation agreement that had enabled rebels and residents to remain in the area.

The day saw a major government ground offensive supported by missiles and artillery around the capital of the province, with President Bashar al-Assad's forces targeting a growing insurgency. Deraa hosted the first protests against Assad in 2011 and remained a major rebel stronghold until reconciling with the government in 2018 under a Russian-backed deal.

Rebel fighters launched counter attacks across the provincial countryside in response to the assault on Thursday, capturing dozens of government soldiers and heavy weaponry including a tank, according to video shared online.

Eight civilians including several children were among 23 people killed, according to a UK-based war monitor. Eight pro-government fighters and seven rebels were also among the dead, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

By Friday morning, a temporary ceasefire had halted the worst fighting in the province for years. "The situation is quiet, the last shelling was around 10am this morning," said Lorans Akrad, a civilian in Deraa al-Balad.

But in return for halting Thursday’s offensive, the regime has demanded the displacement of a number of opposition figures from Deraa to rebel-held Idlib in northwest Syria, as well as the surrender of weapons and men wanted for compulsory military service, said a member of the Fifth Corp, a Russian-sponsored security force in the province.

“Another of the conditions also is to deploy government security services personnel in Daraa al-Balad,” the fighter, identifying himself as Muhammed Al Horani, told the Telegraph.

Tensions have been growing since May, when Deraa boycotted sham presidential elections in which Mr Assad was reelected with 95 percent of the vote.

Opposition to Mr Assad – including street protests – is possible in Deraa due to the July 2018 reconciliation agreement that enabled the return of government control while allowing its inhabitants and former rebels to remain rather than being evacuated to Idlib as in other surrender deals.

The Russian-brokered agreement excluded pro-Damascus forces and intelligence agencies from some areas and allowed former rebels to retain light weapons. In addition to sponsoring the deal, Moscow created the Fifth Corp. By paying the salaries of former rebels, Moscow hoped to limit Iranian influence in the province – which borders Israel and Jordan – and to gain some leverage over Mr Assad.

But the Syrian president was unhappy with less than total control over the province and the uneasy status quo has seen bombings and assassinations of both former opposition leaders and regime troops become routine.

Further government offensives and negotiations are likely as Damascus seeks to relitigate the reconciliation agreement, said Abdullah Jabassini, a researcher at the European University Institute and Middle East Institute specialised in the wartime dynamics of southern Syria.

“The Syrian regime was never satisfied with the outcome of the Russian-backed negotiations,” he said.

The restrictions on deploying military and security forces in the province are particularly galling to Mr Assad, he said.

“At the end of the day the regime will not tolerate any rebellious spheres or independent actors that operate beyond the sphere of state control,” Mr Jabassini said. “This will not be the last episode of violence in the return of the regime to the south.”