BEIRUT — Four Syrian soldiers were killed when
opposition fighters attacked army checkpoints in the southern province of Daraa
on Monday, state media reported, as escalating violence threatened a truce
deal.
اضافة اعلان
Daraa, regarded as the birthplace of Syria's 2011 uprising
and held for years by opposition forces, was returned to government control in
2018 under a previous Moscow-backed ceasefire that had allowed
rebels to stay
in some areas of the province.
But since late July local armed groups have exchanged
artillery fire with government forces and the regime has imposed a crippling
siege on
Daraa city's southern district of Daraa Al-Balad, seen as a hub for
former rebels.
Last week, rebels began evacuating Daraa Al-Balad as part of
a new Russian-brokered truce agreement, but new clashes have significantly
undermined the deal, with battles raging in several parts of the province on
Monday.
The official SANA news agency said that an attack by
opposition fighters on army checkpoints in Daraa killed four soldiers and
wounded 15.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said
that regime forces had increased artillery attacks on Daraa Al-Balad earlier in
the day.
Monday's artillery fire was "unprecedented", the
monitor said, reporting an escalation as opposition fighters tried to repel an
attempt by regime forces to storm the district.
At least one civilian and one opposition fighter were
killed, Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman told AFP.
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