Heavy bombardment

Syria and Russia resume southern offensive on rebel-held town after talks collapse.

Waves of air strikes pounded rebel-held areas of southern Syria as pro-regime forces launched their most intensive bombing campaign yet in a two-week-old offensive.

The renewed assault came after the failure on Wednesday of Russian-brokered talks to end the offensive in Daraa province, which killed dozens and forced tens of thousands from their homes.

An AFP correspondent on the edge of the rebel-held south of the city of Daraa, the divided provincial capital, said the bombing was the most intensive since the launch of the Russian-backed offensive on June 19.

“From last night until now, Russian airplanes are pursuing a scorched earth policy,” said Hussein Abazeed, spokesman for the joint rebel command for the south.

“This is to force rebels to return to negotiations.”

Hundreds of missiles and crude barrel bombs were unleashed by Syrian and Russian aircraft overnight, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Samer Homssi, who had fled to the out- skirts of Daraa with his wife and four children, described a fierce onslaught of regime air strikes and shelling.

“The bombardment has not stopped for one moment since the announcement that the negotiations failed,” the 47-year-old, whose family was taking shelter in an olive grove, said.

“We are living here in the olive trees, afraid of everything, the shelling, the insects, with no water to drink or any medical services nearby. The situation is very difficult.”

The Britain-based Observatory said air strikes were ongoing, including on the town of Tafas in the north-west of Daraa province and on areas near the Jordanian border.

Six civilians, including a woman and four children, were killed in the town of Saida.

Hours later, regime forces fully retook the town and also seized control of a security checkpoint on the Jordanian border for the first time in more than three years, the monitoring group said.

State television showed footage of columns of smoke and said air strikes were aiming to cut rebel access routes.