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On June 15, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) artillery and rocket launchers shelled several positions of the US-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) groups in the villages and towns of Agrabaa, Kafr Shams, al-Mal and al-Harra in the western Daraa countryside, according to the Syrian pro-opposition news outlet Enab Baladi.
The SAA shelling is likely a response to the assassination of Doctor Musa Qanbas, a member of the reconciliation committee in southern Syria. Syrian pro-government activists believe that FSA fighters from al-Harra may have been behind the assassination of Dr. Qanbas.
Earlier, the U.S. Department of State warned that the U.S will take “firm and appropriate measures” in response to any attack of the SAA on the “de-escalation zone” in southwestern Syria. However, it appears that U.S. threats are not serious.
A peaceful solution in southern Syria is very unlikely currently, due to U.S. threats and the FSA hostile acts against the reconciliation committee. This may force the SAA and its allies to launch their long-awaited military operation in the southern governorates of Daraa and al-Quneitra very soon.
