Russian jets launch massive attack on Islamic State near Jordan border

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Russian Aerospace Forces launched a massive attack over the southwestern countryside of the Daraa Governorate on Friday, July 20 morning, Al-Masdar News reports.

According to a military report from the government stronghold of Izraa, the Russian Aerospace Forces launched more than 20 airstrikes over southwest Daraa, today, targeting the large pocket belonging to the Islamic State affiliate “Jaysh Khaled bin Walid” near the Jordanian border.

The report specified that the majority of the airstrikes targeted the IS-held towns of Jaleen, Adwan, and Tasil, which are close to the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) front-lines in the Daraa Governorate.

In addition to the Russian airstrikes, the Syrian Arab Army has unleashed a large number of surface-to-surface missiles on the Islamic State’s positions in the Yarmouk Basin region of Daraa.

This powerful attack comes as the Syrian Arab Army prepares to launch a major offensive to eliminate the Islamic State’s large pocket in the southwestern region of the Daraa Governorate.

However, unlike the other battles in the Daraa Governorate, the Islamic State will not be offered the opportunity to reconcile with the government.

The Syrian army was able to sweep through much of the Daraa and Al-Quneitra governorates in three weeks, thanks in large part to these reconciliation agreements.

IS may be given the option of being transported to the Badiya Al-Sham region in eastern Syria; however, there is also the issue of the large number of displaced civilians living in the part of Daraa they control.

Due to the large number of displaced civilians near the Jordanian border, the Syrian Arab Army’s offensive to capture the Yarmouk Basin region may prove to be more difficult than originally planned.