Syrian Army Captures More Territory in Northeast Dara’a

On Monday morning, the Syrian Arab Army’s 15th Brigade of the Special Forces – in coordination with the Palestine Liberation Army (PLA) and the National Defense Forces (NDF) – launched a powerful assault on the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and Jaysh Al-Yarmouk’s defensive positions inside the Al-Lijat Plateau, where they engaged in a fierce firefight on the border of Dara’a and Al-Sweida.

Following a morning of intense clashes, the Syrian Armed Forces achieved a break-through inside the village of Tal Wardat, where they captured the strategic hilltop that overlooks the remaining territory under the control of the Islamist rebel units in the Al-Lijat Plateau.

Finally, the Syrian Armed Forces captured the remaining territory in Tal Wardat after the militants of the Free Syrian Army and Jaysh Al-Yarmouk withdrew towards the southern countryside of the Al-Lijat Plateau; this abrupt retreat was due to the heavy aerial bombardment from the Syrian Arab Air Force (SAAF) on Monday afternoon.

So far this year, the Syrian Armed Forces have been relatively successful inside the Al-Lijat Plateau, as they have capitalized on the deteriorated relations between the Islamist forces and the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) in the southeastern countryside of the Rif Dimashq Governorate.

The capture of the Al-Lijat Plateau is an imperative military endeavor for the Syrian Armed Forces, as its proximity to the strategic city of Izra’a and the provincial capital of Al-Sweida makes this area critical to the Central Command’s primary contingency in this war.