- The Syrian army will wage all the battles and has now become strong and capable
- Opposition forces in the Daraa area of the southwest were reinforcing their positions
BEIRUT: The Syrian army has completed preparations for an imminent offensive against opposition-held areas in southwestern Syria, a non-Syrian commander in a military alliance that backs the regime said on Tuesday.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights separately reported that opposition forces in the Daraa area of the southwest were reinforcing their positions as regime troops arrived there.
The comments underline a regime plan to target the area near the borders with Jordan and Israel despite a US warning to take “firm and appropriate measures” in response to any violations of a cease-fire it brokered with Russia in that area.
“The Syrian army will wage all the battles and has now become strong and capable,” the commander said.
The southwest is one of the big chunks of territory that still remains outside the control of the Syrian regime, which has recovered swathes of territory with the support of the Russian military and Iran-backed Shiite militias.