US will not rescue rebels in Dara’a

Warning comes as Syrian troops stepped up air strikes on the southern province

Warning comes as regime troops step up air strikes on the southern province |

The United States has warned rebels in southern Syria that they should not expect military intervention if government troops launch an assault against them, a rebel commander told AFP yesterday.

Russian-backed government forces are preparing an offensive to retake Syria’s southern provinces of Dara’a and Sweida, still mostly held by rebels who had been backed by the US for years.

The US warning, contained in an Arabic-language message seen by AFP, came as Syrian troops last week stepped up air strikes on the southern provinces.

“We must clarify our position: we understand that you must make a decision (to fight) based on your interests, the interests of your people and your faction as you see them,” the message read.

“You should not base your decision on an assumption or expectation of military intervention from our side,” it said, according to a copy provided to AFP by one of the rebels.” The US did not immediately confirm the letter’s contents.

On Saturday, Syrian regime forces made their first gains on the ground against rebel fighters in Dara’a province after several days of intensified air strikes, according to a war monitor.

Russian air strike

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported that Russia late Saturday carried out its first air strike on Dara’a since brokering a truce there in mid-2017.

That “de-escalation” deal for southwest Syria was agreed with the United States and Jordan and initially brought some respite to the area, though violations continued.

Those same powers are in talks now to reach a negotiated settlement for the south that could head off a bloody regime assault.

“We in the US government understand the difficult circumstances you are now facing, and we are still advising the Russians and the Syrian regime not to conduct any military action that will violate the de-escalation zone in southwest Syria,” said the US message to rebels.

The opposition commander who received it said it was not in response to a request for help by anti-regime factions.

“We knew anyway that they weren’t going to intervene, so we weren’t disappointed,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.