Syrian army moves in on areas held by rebels

Syrian government troops advanced on rebel-held areas in the country’s southwestern region amid intense clashes Saturday, state media and opposition activists said, in a widening offensive that has shattered a U.S.-backed truce.

Syrian State news agency SANA reported fierce clashes in al-Lujat area, a rocky region in the eastern country- side of Daraa. It said troops advancing from the adjacent Sweida province seized two villages, adding that the rebels responded by shelling government-held areas.

Washington warned the offensive in the region bor- dering Jordan and Israeli-occupied Golan Heights risks widening the conflict. It called on Russia to restrain its ally and warned of the repercussions of the fighting but didn’t elaborate on how it intends to salvage the truce in place for nearly a year.

The de-escalation zone was negotiated by Russia, Wash

ington and Jordan and has maintained calm in the strategic area since. But in recent weeks, the deal appeared to be unraveling as both the Syrian government and Israel turned to military means to achieve their goals. Damascus is seeking to build on the momentum of its successive military victories elsewhere and has turned its troops and elite forces toward the southwest. Israel, fearing the expansion of the influence of Iran and its allied militia fighting alongside the Syrian government in the area, has carried out airstrikes there against suspected Iranian targets.

Russia has been in talks to reach a settlement in the area, building on the July deal. But the talks have stalled as the fighting escalates. On Satur- day, Moscow, which has come under criticism from the U.S. for the teetering agreement, blamed al-Qaida-linked mil- itants for targeting and kill- ing government troops. The Russian defense ministry said about 1,000 fighters attacked the government army tank division in Daraa.

The majority of the reb- els in southwestern Syria are backed by the U.S. and Jordan. A minority among them who are mostly local fighters are al-Qaida-linked. Local media activist Abu Mahmoud al-Hourani said the clashes Saturday were an escalation in a widening offensive, but denied that the rebels lost any territory.