BEIRUT: Syrian government forces and US-backed opposition fighters clashed on Tuesday in a remote desert area near the borders with Iraq and Jordan, where tensions have been rising.
The clashes came a day after pro-Syrian media said US, British and Jordanian forces were “massing” on the Jordanian side of the border. The report was likely a reference to an annual US-Jordanian military drill known as “Eager Lion.”
Jordan’s state-run Petra news agency said about 7,400 troops from more than 20 nations are participating.
Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid Al-Moallem warned Jordan on Monday against sending troops to Syria. He also said the Syrian government’s next target will likely be to reach the border with Iraq.
The government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media said the Syrian army and its allies have completed the first phase of an operation aimed at securing the Syrian-Iraqi border, advancing some 45 kilometers (30 miles) and seizing the Al-Sabe Biyar area and two hills.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Tuesday’s clashes were underway on the southern edge of Syria’s central Homs province, where government forces have been on the offensive for days.
Tlas Al-Salameh, the commander of a rebel faction know as Eastern Lions, said government warplanes carried out raids against his group without causing casualties. He also accused government troops of “obstructing” his group’s efforts to battle Daesh militants. Both the government and the opposition are at war with the extremists.
“The regime forces have entered the area and blocked the way between us and Daesh,” Al-Salameh said, using an Arabic acronym for IS. “We can’t get to Daesh.”
He said clashes were concentrated on the highway linking Damascus with Baghdad, mostly at the Zaza junction. Al-Salameh said rebels responded by striking at Khalkhala air base and a government-controlled power station nearby.
Syrian troops and rebels clash near Jordan border
Syrian troops and rebels clash near Jordan border
