Syria: Russian Air Force pounds Deraa

Russian air strikes on Syrian opposition positions in Deraa are into a fourth day. Syrian opposition groups are preventing Syrian government affiliated troops from retaking the strategic border crossing.

The Syrian Army lost the position in the Manshiya district on Sunday last week, thereby losing control of a strategically vital crossing into Jordan. In response, the Russian Air Force is carrying out some of the heaviest recent attacks against rebel positions in Manshiya, in preparation for a Syrian Army offensive.

Tuesday alone saw 35 Russian air attacks against rebel ground targets, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.

If the Syrian Army regains its foothold in the southern Deraa region, it would disrupt rebel access to the east and west of the province, as well as an escape route to Jordan.

To prevent a ground assault, the opposition has been continuously shelling nearby government controlled positions, and have been disrupting logistical lines to the government forces.

According to reports, the majority of the opposition forces come from factions from the Turkish supported Free Syrian Army and the newly formed and al Qaeda affiliated Tahrir al Sham umbrella group. The Southern Front group, a coalition of opposition forces, has been active inside Deraa for months, preventing the Syrian military from regrouping.

In addition to these groups, a number of militias with associations to ISIS have been operating to the west in the Wadi Yarmouk area, near the Golan Heights.

The crossing was one of the most busy gateways to Jordan from Syria, and was principal to civilian travel from Damascus to Amman.

the #Hemeimeem air base in #Syria is visible part of the iceberg ( #Moscow 's role in the region )#Russia #Turkey pic.twitter.com/JcPovtQ5Ad

— Tamer Yazar (@tameryazar) June 20, 2016