Nora al-Ameer, vice president of the Syrian Coalition, described the Free Syrian Army’s liberation of Tal al-Hara in rural Dara’a as “a strategic move that will save the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in Quneitra, Dara’a and Western Ghouta.” The liberated hill overlooks wide areas in Dara’a and Quneitra provinces, giving regime forces stationed there the ability to fire a barrage of mortar and artillery shells on the civilian homes in the surrounding towns and villages. The capture of Tal al-Hara will redraw the military map in southern Syria, and will change the geo-military situation as rebel battalions have come closer to the strongholds of Assad’s security forces in Damascus. Moreover, the capture of Tal al-Hara has brought rebel battalions closer to West Ghouta, the gateway to Damascus. The fall of this strategic hill and the nearby town is a crippling blow to regime forces in that area and a huge leap that will further boost the fighting capabilities of the rebel battalions. This strategic victory have also broken the geographical barriers separating the areas controlled by rebels.” Activists said that dozens of pro-Assad militants were killed, injured or captured in the battle that led to the fall of the hill. Rebels also captured all the heavy machinery, ammunition and light weapons after capturing the hill, and also drove regime forces out of the town of Al Harra, Tal al-Jadeera, and blew up the Military Intelligence building in Al Harra. (Source: Syrian Coalition)