13.08.2020
Iran, the 220 Branch of the Syrian Military Intelligence Directorate and Hezbollah are together establishing a new force to monitor the situation on the contact line with Israeli forces near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, local sources claim.
According to reports, the new force will be mostly made up of personnel of the Syrian Army and local fighters from the Golan Regiment armed group. Mamoun Jridah and Hazem Kabul, two local figures who are close to Hezbollah, are reportedly recruiting fighters to this new force. At least 175 fighters have signed up, so far. The force will also be tasked with contributing security efforts in the area and preventing Israeli sabotage activities there.
Despite the attempts of Israel to deter Iranian influence in central and southern Syria, Iran, Hezbollah and Iranian-backed groups maintain a significant presence in the southern Syrian provinces. Over the past weeks, the situation has become especially dangerous following the destabilization of Lebanon, the Israeli military buildup on the contact lines with Lebanon and Syria, and the increased number of incidents between Israeli and Iranian-backed forces.
If the regional situation continues escalating, it’s easy to expect that the southern part of Syria and southern Lebanon will become the hot points of the confrontation between Israel and the Hezbollah-Iran bloc.
Late on August 12, the Turkish military and its proxies in northeast Syria launched several small-scale attacks on positions of the Syrian Army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in al-Hasakah and Raqqa provinces. Turkish forces clashed with army troops near the towns of al-Qasmiyah and al-Rashidiyah, and with the SDF near the town of Kur Hasan. Turkish forces also shelled the Ain Issa refugee camp in northern Raqqa. Fire erupted in several farmlands bordering the camp. There are no confirmed reports of casualties resulting from this series of incidents.
Since late June, Turkish forces have increased the number of artillery strike and tactical attacks on the Syrian Army and the SDF in northeastern Syria. These ceasefire violations go contrary to the agreements reached by Ankara with the US and Russia. Some sources even speculate that the Erdogan government is preparing for a resumption of full-scale military operation in the northeast.
ISIS ambushed a convoy of Liwa al-Quds, a pro-government Palestinian militia, near the town of al-Tabni in southern Deir Ezzor. After this, terrorists also detonated several explosive devices in the path of reinforcements from the 4th Armoured Division as it deployed to the area. A truck and a SUV of pro-government forces were destroyed in the attacks. Depending on the sources, from 1 to 3 pro-government fighters died. ISIS always intensifies their attacks on government forces during an increase of tensions between Turkey and the US-Israeli alliance.
