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Executive Summary for June 12th

We review the key developments in Syria, including pro-government forces reaching the Iraq border, SDF forces closing in on Raqqa from opposite sides and reports that Syrian troops and allied forces are preparing for a wide offensive on Daraa city.

Published on June 12, 2017 Read time Approx. 3 minutes

Syrian Pro-Government Forces Reach Iraq Border

Syrian troops and allied forces reached the country’s border with Iraq for the first time since 2015 on Friday, Al Jazeera reported, citing Syrian state media.

“Army units in cooperation with allies managed to arrive at the border … with Iraq …and set up positions in an area northeast of Tanf,” state news agency SANA said, citing an unnamed military source.

The United Kingdom-based monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that pro-government forces had circled around U.S.-backed forces and arrived at a point on the frontier around 31 miles (50km) northeast of the Tanf base, where the U.S.-led coalition is preparing Syrian rebel groups for the fight against the so-called Islamic State (ISIS).

The advance was confirmed by Russia’s Ministry of Defense, according to the Associated Press.

The latest push toward the frontier means that pro-government troops have blocked U.S.-backed forces from advancing north along the border, toward the ISIS-held areas of Deir Ezzor and Bou Kamal, in eastern Syria.

The advance also allows pro-government forces to advance north along the border and link up with Iraqi forces moving down the frontier toward the Iraqi border town of al-Qaim, just south of Bou Kamal.

The Associated Press, citing Hezbollah’s Al Manar TV, said Friday that Iranian-backed Iraqi paramilitaries are advancing along the Syrian-Iraqi border, through ISIS-held territory, to meet allied forces in Syria.

SDF Closes in on Raqqa From Opposite Sides

The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces on Saturday launched a pincer movement against opposite flanks of Raqqa, stronghold of the so-called Islamic State, Reuters reported.

The U.S.-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters advanced into the al-Romania district in northwest Raqqa on Saturday, after seizing al-Mishlab district in the far east and half al-Sabahia district in the west, one day earlier.

The SOHR said on Sunday that SDF forces have wrested control of some parts of the al-Romania district, following fierce clashes with the militant group in the area over the weekend.

Meanwhile, the U.S.-led coalition has been accused of using white phosphorus on densely populated areas in Raqqa, after videos posted on social media over the weekend purported to show highly incendiary munitions exploding over homes and buildings, Al Jazeera reported.

Reinforcements Rushed to Daraa Ahead of Wide Offensive

Reinforcements for the Syrian army and its allies are being deployed to a strategic southern city near the Jordanian border, Reuters reported on Monday.

Reinforcements from the Syrian army, the Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah and Shiite Muslim Iraqi militias are being rushed to Daraa, in a possible prelude to a large-scale campaign to wrest full control of the city.

Major Issam al Rayes, a spokesman of the so-called Southern Front grouping of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), told Reuters that “the regime has brought large columns of troops from the elite 4th Armoured Division, and also Hezbollah forces.”

“Everything indicates the regime is preparing for a large-scale military campaign in Daraa in which they plan to encircle the city and reach the Jordanian border,” Rayes said.

Syrian rebels control parts of the city – including the Manshiya neighborhood, which has been pounded by airstrikes and heavy artillery attacks over the past two months.

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