In yet new military escalation, Assad regime forces carried out artillery and rocket shelling on the town of Al-Harra in rural Dara’a with the aim of putting increasing pressure on civilians and increasing their fear of a new forced displacement operation as the ones that took place in different areas across Syria.
In a statement on Monday, the local council in Al-Harra said that the Assad regime intensified shelling of the town with the aim of forcing the local residents to agree to its conditions for surrender. It noted that the regime is seeking to put residents of the town in front of two choices, surrender or leave your areas and homes.
The local council called on all major states and the UN Security Council to put an end to the Assad regime military escalation in the area. It noted that “by bringing Shiite militias from Iran and other countries, the Assad regime is seeking to turn the Syrian revolution into a sectarian war.”
The local council appealed to the world to take a firm stand against the Assad regime, which the Council’s statement described as “the world’s number one terrorist.”
The Assad regime’s intensification of bombardment of Dara’a province in general and the strategic town of Al-Harra in particular came amid reports about preparations by the Assad regime to launch a major offensive in the province. The regime has brought huge reinforcements to the outskirts of the province over the past few days.
The Syrian Coalition earlier stressed that Russia will bear full responsibility for any possible escalation in southern Syria, adding that the Assad regime is seeking military escalation in the south under orders from Iran. It said that the Assad regime has become a mere front for the Iranian occupation of Syria.
“Neither the Russian nor the Iranian occupations will be able to break the will of the Syrian people or end their struggle against occupation and tyranny,” said the Coalition. “The Syrian people will eventually achieve their goals no matter the odds.” (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department + Agencies)