Syrian airstrike targets rebels' operation room in Qunaitera

Syrian warplanes struck a rebel operation room in the southern province of Qunaitera on Tuesday, killing undisclosed number of rebel commanders, the pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV reported.

The war jets pounded the operation room in the town of Konda in the countryside of Qunaitera, about one km from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, the report said, without spelling any further details.

The army forces backed by the Lebanese Hezbollah fighters have recently been making some progress in their battles against an array of jihadist groups in Qunaitera, mainly the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front.

Previous statements by the official Syrian media outlets said the military operations in Qunaitera aimed at weakening the jihadists' influence and capabilities in that key province on the borders with the Israeli-occupied territories.

Separately, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, said the Syrian air force carried out airstrikes against 11 towns and areas in the southern province of Daraa and its northwestern countryside, which has been witnessing intense clashes between an array of jihadist groups and the Syrian army backed by Hezbollah.

Meanwhile, the state-run SANA news agency said the Syrian troops intensified their attacks against the positions of the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front in the northwestern countryside of Daraa, killing and injuring many of them.

The Syrian army also recaptured the town of Marta al-Faras in the countryside of the southern province of Swaida, close to the countryside of Daraa, according to SANA.

It added that the government forces are hunting down "terrorists" who are sneaking from the desert of Sawiada to the countryside of Daraa.

The Observatory noted that the Syrian forces and allied groups are working to strengthen their control in the triangle of the western countryside of Damascus, the countryside of Qunaitera and the northwestern countryside of Daraa. Endit