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The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies have continued their operation against militants in the southern Syrian province of Daraa, according to pro-government sources.
Recently, SAA troops have retaken a few more points east and west of the city of Daraa. A local reconciliation deal have been reportedly reached in the settlements of Tafas and al-Yadudah.
The ongoing SAA operation is currently focused on the area south of the city of Daraa. Retaking it, government forces will be able to tighten the siege on the militant-held part of the city.
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Golan before Christmas
The SAA can’t even stop Israeli air strikes on its Iranian and Hezbollah allies. Not without the Russians using their network and defenses. What makes you think the SAA could take on the IDF head on and win?
This whole Golan next thing that I keep on reading about is delusion of the highest order. The Assad family was perfectly fine with letting Israel keep the Golan for 40 years before this war started. Not a single cent was spent on maintaining the SAA’s military readiness for war with Israel in that time, let alone on improving it. If there’s any priority list that Assad has its finishing off the Jihadis and ISIS in southern Syria, reclaiming At Tanf from the Americans, reclaiming the US backed SDF Kurdish state in northeastern Syria, reclaiming Idlib and kicking the Turks out of northern Syria. All of which are of infinitely greater priority and to be frank, while daunting and maybe even impossible (just ask Cyprus about Turkish occupied Northern Cyprus), those are still infinitely more realistic then getting the Golan back. If we’re into miracles, why not ask for an end to hunger and world peace as well?
Thanks to SAA and to their allies. Just you watch the rapid advance of SAA.
A rapid advance made possible because Russia has been training and commanding SAA units in the field, arming them, providing close air support and convincing a lot of the local FSA warbands to lay down their arms and accept reconciliation deals. This whole operation, hell, the whole turn around of the war, is due to Russia. Since Russia has no beef with Israel and does not oppose IDF incursians against Iranian and Hezbollah forces I doubt that there will be any war with Israel. Assad currently rules over Syria with the approval and largess of Russia. Russian ‘advisors’ control the operations of the Syrian army. If Assad wants to take the Golan back he would have to do so without any Russian support. At which point his army would grind to a halt before it even gets to fire a single shot.
As for that no fly zone, that is why Russia did NOT deliver the S-300 to Syria. Without that there’s no way that Syria can impose anything on Israel.
Again, this whole obsession with the Golan speaks of a gross overestimation of the SAA’s actual capabilities, a gross underestimation of how much the Russians are in control of Syria, a gross underestimation of how important the relations between Israel and Russia are and determine this conflict, and above all a massive underestimation of the military capabilities of Israel.
It’s not going to happen, period! Now can we please go back and discuss the things that actually are going to happen and matter? Like the ongoing liberation of Daraa city and Western Daraa governate? And what’s going to happen in Idlib and the Turkish and US occupied parts of Syria.
Thank You! I’ve been sick and tired of the fantasy wars of so many individuals on this site because of their hatred that overrides common sense. #1 issue has been ISIS and others of their ilk. Thanks Russia. One appreciative American that voted for Trump.
Barba, in the end of the Syrian war what remains it’s the Golans question. In my opinion, neither Turkey nor nobody can do nothing against the total liberation of the Syrian territory, and Israel, in the next years that will follow the war, will have to return to Syria the occupied Golans.
Like I said, the Golan has been occupied by Israel since 1967. Syria has done absolutely nothing to get it back since the 1973 war. It has done nothing to prepare nor improve its army for such a war, on the contrary it turned its army into a feudal kleptocracy, where generals were allowed to milk their command for every penny, as long as they swore fealty to the great king in Damascus.
Syria is in no position whatsoever to do ANYTHING about getting the Golan back. The US will continue to support Israel with cash and prizes, the Israeli army is still infinitely stronger then the severely depleted and a shadow of its former self SAA, and its main backer Russia is not interested in a war with Israel and will not support Syria in a war with Israel. All Russia wants is a return of Syria to the status quo ante bellum. The only one who might support Syria in a war with Israel would be Iran, and to be frank, they can’t even protect their own personnel and installations in Syria from getting blown up by the IDF.
The Golan is not an issue, because it wasn’t an issue before this war and neither the US nor Russia plan it to be an issue after this war. All you guys are doing is spouting hot air and setting yourself up for disappointment. It is not going to happen, PERIOD. No amount of wishful thinking will make it so, except for an unforseen act of God. And if deus ex machina is your best strategy you might as well give up and quit.
“All Russia wants is a return of Syria to the status quo ante bellum”, you wrote. Well, the question of the occupied Golans was already an issue before the war, and Syria has not only the support of Russia in that issue, but also of the all UN, that have considered the Golans syrian territory occupied by Israel, and the israeli annexation null and void. My opinion is that in the end of this war Syria will have much more strength to return to this issue, and Israel less power to oppose the occupied Golans devolution.
Dream on, my friend. I don’t think its going to happen. There is official rhetoric, and there is what countries actually do. And history has consistently shown that the two are never the same.
Barba, speaking about history, well, there’s the history of the crusades, but that it’s an irony, because now what really matters it’s another story: China and Russia are growing in the international arena and, for the first time since the desintegration of USSR, a commun country was able to resist a colonial western agression, an agression also supported by all the allies of the West in the Middle East. These facts are not dreams of mine.
That country was able to resist that aggression only thanks to massive support from Russia. Without that support ISIS and Al Nusra would now be fighting it out in the rubble of Damascus over who gets to be in charge. Without Russian support Syria is not able, or not going to do squat about the Israeli occupation of the Golan heights. Since Russia does not want war with Israel, and lets Israel bomb Iranian and Hezbollah targets in Syria with impunity, there is not going to be any war with Israel over the Golan. Why is that so hard to comprehend for people?
Barba, good morning, you read what I wrote, so I’m not going to repeat myself again. I spoke about correlation of political forces on the end of this war, and I didn’t spoke about a war, in this moment, to recover the occupied Golans.
The Israeli government was having discussions with Assad over the possible return of the Golan Heights to Syria before the fighting started. Damascus also was negotiating to join the IMF and EU back then, too. They may get back to those depending on what transpires over the next several years. I doubt if the IDF is worried about a land invasion of the Golan Heights since it still has huge swatches of land filled with millions of landmines that were laid by the Syrian Army long ago. The SAA has maps showing those minefields so will be forced to enter at a few points that the IDF has zeroed in for artillery fire.
I was always under the impression that Israel wanted to remain in the Golan Heights forever, if only because of its water resources. Didn’t they basically annexed it officially?
This has now become a forgone conclusion all that has happened was Syria allowed the UN to try and work things out but Israel has violated and balked at every resolution against it. Since we now see UNDOF has the ability to remove violent forces with actual force, once they enter into the region again they will be forced to remove Israel as per UN agreement. When you make idiotic and narrow minded views still layered in NATO thought you limit your thinking and are unable to process the larger world.
Oh and just some food for thought 120 countries opposed to Israel and 35 or more abstain leaving a handful of nations to support. The will of the Nations have spoken get over your inflated and distorted concepts.
This has always been an issue just as much as Palestine as a country has been , do you think I forgotten the strong opposition to Israel before 2001. Someone like you must simply be naive in trying to obscure that fact from history.
Fat chance that the UN will do anything against Israel, not even use harsh language. People like Nicky Haley will see to that. And the opposition of 120 countries means squat, as the UN by itself has nothing. It needs the contribution of member states to do something. And no member states, other then Iran perhaps, will contribute a single soldier to fight Israel over this. This is just fact.
Sorry that’s where you are so desperately wrong and no NATO country other than the US actually gives a Toss for Israel you do know that don’t you not even your nation really cares.
I think you missed the decade of sanctions that obviously hit the military and the energy industry, farming, industry – actually everything.
As you, I think the Golan heights will be the last to go.
I take it you mean sanctions against Syria? If so I concur.
Yes, it killed my designed, engineered and installed / commissioned the Water injection plant on the Omar field (well, I did design it and spent a month of Christmas commissioning it) – I totally screwed my job up over xmas, but met many Syrian friends, hence my bias…
https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Documents/syria.pdf
Fuck off you zionist scumbag,,it doesnt matter how long the GOLAN is occupied by zionist warmongering thieves,,its still part of SYRIA,,backed up by UN resolutions.Stolen property will eventually have to be returned,or is there a special law for ISRAHELL???
And you win the virtual cookie for calling someone a zionist for disagreeing with you! I knew it was going to happen the moment I made my post. Because obviously anyone who disagrees has to be a hasbara zionist troll.
And as for there being a special law for Israel, sure there is. It is called might makes right. When you have the position of strength international law never applies to you, only to others. Welcome to the real world, my friend. You can scream at it, curse it, I did all those things already. Some things just are. Unfortunately.
‘The Assad family was perfectly fine with letting Israel keep the Golan for 40 years…’
Somewhat of a hyperbolic overstatement, the Syrian Baathist leadership is the only Arab protagonist from the 1967 and 1972 conflicts that did not cede to a subsequent peace accord with Israel – like Egypt in 70’s and Jordan in 90’s – because substantial Syrian territory remains under direct IDF occupation.
Except Egypt got the Sinai back, plus the whole point of the 1973 war was to get the Israelis to the negotiation table to get the Sinai back. The Egyptians only had the limited goal of crossing the Suez and never advance beyond the range of their SAM belt. Jordan was, and still is, basically at the mercy of its Western and Saudi backers, without whom the country would collapse, and since they wanted there to be peace with Israel, that’s what they got.
But how many attempts have their been by Syria to regain the Golan after 1973? You can basically count them on the fingers of not a single hand. Like I said, they didn’t do anything to get it back, or prepare the army for such a fight. If only because they damn well knew that without the assistance of another country like Egypt opening up another front there’s not a snowball’s chance for Syria to take on Israel on their own.
That would be the best present ever :)
ziotroll.
The Russian Military Police have entered Tafas and Al Youdeh is under control , the deal is to turn over all positions along the front with ISIS many have reconciled but others are going to Idlib mostly HTS even though they were informed Idlib is next by the Russians.
Not way ! First Al-Tanaf, and Idbil area. Then, kurds (USA-puppets) area. After these, diplomatic action must be taken to get back Golan Heights.
excellente news the pocket of daraa city will be finish good!