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Syrian government forces were preparing to launch a large-scale security operation in the western Daraa countryside, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on August 22.
According to the UK-based monitoring group, the operation will be carried out by the Syrian Arab Army’s 4th Division and the Military Intelligence Directorate (MID).
“A campaign of raids will take place in [the towns of] Muzayrib, al-Yadudah and Tal Shihab in Daraa countryside,” the SOHR’s report reads.
The 4th Division and the MID are now amassing their forces in the area of al-Rai and the town of Zaizoun near Muzayrib. Reinforcements are still arriving.
In the last few months, a number of attacks targeted Syrian troops and local fighters in the western Daraa countryside. ISIS claimed responsibility for some of the attacks, confirming its presence in the region.
Government forces were reportedly planning to launch a security operation in western Daraa earlier this year. However, the operation was postponed in order to facilitate talks with local fighters. Now, an operation appears to be more likely.
