Syrian army took control of villages in southern Syria, state media said on Saturday, part of a campaign they started this month against insurgents posing one of the biggest remaining threats to Damascus.
The strategic advance occurred as UN special envoy to Syria held talks on Saturday in Damascus to finalize a freeze plan for the city of Aleppo, where al-Qaeda's Syria branch took over a rebel base.
The large offensive is backed by the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah and initially made swift progress before slowing. The gains, made on Friday and Saturday, mark a new push in the army campaign.
Syria's state news agency SANA said the village of Tal al-Majda in Sweida province and Tal Antar in Deraa were taken. Both are near Jordan.
According to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the army, along with pro-government forces, took control of three villages and several hills in Deraa in clashes that left seven rebels dead.