Syria regime, Hezbollah make gains in south

Syrian troops backed by Lebanese Hezbollah fighters swept south of the capital Damascus Wednesday, seizing strategic hills and villages from Free Syrian Army rebels and Nusra Front militants near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, The Daily Star reported, citing news agencies.

State media and opposition activists said the offensive was aimed at forcing back rebels who had recently advanced closer to embattled President Bashar Assad’s seat of power.

The region is located near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, which on Jan. 18 was targeted by an Israeli airstrike that killed six Hezbollah fighters and an Iranian general.

The Syrian government last year lost large parts of Qunaitra province to opposition fighters, many of them from the Nusra Front.

State television said troops Wednesday gained control of the town of Deir al-Adas and the village of Deir Maker, as well as the nearby areas of Tal al-Arous and Tal al-Sarjeh south of the capital.

A statement by the Syrian armed forces said the gains were important because they severed supply lines and communication among “terrorist outposts” in the Damascus countryside, Deraa province and Qunaitra.