Syrian Ceasefire Agreement Applies to Daraa Region; Not Syrian Golan Heights

According to a publication by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, the two dominant jihadi organizations in the Syrian Golan Heights – the Headquarters for the Liberation of Al-Sham and Khaled bin al-Walid Army – are now preparing for an attack by the Syrian army

Syrian Ceasefire Agreement Applies to Daraa Region; Not Syrian Golan Heights

Naseeb border crossing on the border between Syria and Jordan (terrorism-info.org.il)

The Syrian ceasefire agreement applies to the Daraa area and does not include the Syrian Golan Heights, states a report by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. “The two dominant jihadi organizations in the Syrian Golan Heights are now preparing for an attack by the Syrian army. The Headquarters for the Liberation of Al-Sham (formerly the Al-Nusra Front) carried out quick training for its operatives. The ISIS-affiliated Khaled bin al-Walid Army in the Yarmouk Basin is making an effort to recruit new operatives and put on a show of military strength to raise morale. ISIS operatives from the Horan Province carried out a mass-casualty suicide bombing attack against a Syrian and Russian army force in a village bordering the southern outskirts of the Yarmouk Basin, which had just been taken over by the Syrian army.”

“The military and political moves currently taking place in southern Syria have long-term significance because they reflect a process of shaping the nature of the borders of the Syrian state vis-à-vis Jordan and Israel (after the Assad regime takes over most of the territory of Syria). The Syrian regime has already recorded a significant achievement vis-à-vis Jordan, i.e., regaining control of the Naseeb border crossing (for the first time since 2015) and posts along the Syrian-Jordanian border. In the future, this will make it difficult for the rebel organizations to maintain support channels with Jordan and will expedite the process of weakening them. It will also enable the resumption of the movement of goods and people between Syria and Jordan, thereby making a significant contribution to the economies of both countries. The nature of the Syrian-Israeli border on the Golan Heights is expected to be shaped in the near future. 

“On July 6, 2018, a Syrian military force entered the Naseeb border crossing between Syria and Jordan. The crossing was taken over without any resistance. The Syrian soldiers waved Syrian flags and photos of President Bashar Assad at the crossing. The rebel organizations left behind three APCs and ammunition. A Russian Military Police force is stationed at the crossing in a supervisory capacity, as stipulated in the ceasefire agreement.

The publication also discusses the Syrian refugees. “According to a UN report (updated to July 9, 2018), over 320,000 people were driven out of their homes due to the fighting (many of them women, children and sick people). About half of the displaced persons are near the border between Syria and Jordan. About 164,000 displaced persons are in the Quneitra region in the Syrian Golan Heights. The displaced persons live in makeshift camps, under dire humanitarian conditions, without food and water and sometimes even without shelter. Dozens of displaced persons camps have been erected near the border between Israel and Syria.”

[Satellite images by ImageSat International – ISI]

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