Syria widens offense and shatters truce

BEIRUT — 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 clashes in alLujat, a rocky region in the eastern countryside of Daraa. It said troops advancing from the adjacent Sweida province seized two villages, adding that the rebels responded by shelling government-held areas.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the government advances, saying they were accompanied by intense shelling and airstrikes. The Observatory said the escalation on the fifth day of the fighting left eight government troops dead and 20 wounded. Russia, the main backer of the Syrian government, said five Syrian soldiers were killed. Since Tuesday, at least 18 civilians and 10 rebel fighters have been killed, the Observatory said.

Washington warned that the offensive in the region bordering Jordan and Israeli-occupied Golan Heights risks widening the conflict. It called on Russia to restrain its ally 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, Washington and Jordan and has maintained calm in the strategic area since.