DAMASCUS, SYRIA (11:00 A.M.) – With a new wave of rebel attacks and subsequent government air raids in Daraa city, the province’s ‘de-escalation’ plan seems to have faltered completely.
According to Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) and allied Free Syrian Army (FSA) factions, their joint forces were able to capture 34 buildings in the embattled Manshiyah district on Wednesday.
Additionally, HTS claimed their elite Inghimasi units had infiltrated a small portion of the neighboring Sajnah suburb for the first time since the ‘death rather than humiliation’ offensive began back in February.
The Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) responded with brute force, conducting 22 aerial sorties over the provincial capital, most of which were carried out by combat helicopters.
With the rebel offensive centered around the Manshiyah district – by now transformed into a killing zone and death trap for both sides – for over three months, the city of Daraa itself is split roughly 50/50 between government forces and Islamist insurgents.