Syria’s 4th Armored Division Attacks in Daraa Undermine Russian Guarantees

Reinforcements of the pro-government 4th Armored Division entered the city of Daraa at the end of July 2021
Reinforcements of the pro-government 4th Armored Division entered the city of Daraa at the end of July 2021
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Syria’s 4th Armored Division Attacks in Daraa Undermine Russian Guarantees

Reinforcements of the pro-government 4th Armored Division entered the city of Daraa at the end of July 2021
Reinforcements of the pro-government 4th Armored Division entered the city of Daraa at the end of July 2021

Local fighters in Syria’s southwestern city of Daraa and nearby neighborhoods and refugee camps were put on high-security alert after they managed to ward off an offensive by regime forces trying to break into opposition-held areas.

Troops from the Syrian Army’s 4th Armored Division attempted an advancement at the Kazzieh crossroad, separating opposition-held parts of Daraa city and regime-controlled areas.

Heavy artillery shelling and rockets were used in the regime offensive, despite Russia’s recent assurances that the military escalation will cease in Daraa.

Daraa’s negotiations committee had prepared for a Sunday meeting with a new Russian delegation that arrived in town, local activist Othman al-Musalma told Asharq Al-Awsat.

According to Musalma, the Russian delegation reports directly to the Russian command operating in Daraa.

However, the activist clarified that the 4th Division, despite Russian intervention, has failed to heed commitments made in recent deals and negotiations that took place in the southwestern city.

Instead of cooperating with truce deals, the Division repeatedly works to foil any form of agreement.

On Saturday evening, the Division targeted and destroyed the residence of Daraa Central Committee Member Abu Sharif al-Muhamid, where the Russian delegation’s meeting with the Committee was supposed to take place on Sunday.

Targeting Muhamid’s residence sends a strong message to Russia that it would not be able to slow down Iranian ambitions in southern Syria, explained Musalma, adding that the attack also aimed to get Committee members to cave before demands made by the Division.

As for the living conditions of Daraa locals, Musalma revealed that the suffering was exacerbated by the only functioning bakery in town announcing its inability to produce bread anymore after its flour supply having been depleted.

Locals are suffering from a dire shortage in medical supplies after the Division has struck the sole health center in town.

The southwestern city has also been struggling with power outages and poor access to potable water ever since Syrian regime forces began their military escalation against the opposition stronghold last June.

Even though the regime offensive has displaced many locals, large numbers of families have refused to leave their homes.



52 Palestinians Including Children Killed in Israeli Airstrikes in Gaza

Palestinians inspect the destruction at a makeshift displacement camp following a reported incursion a day earlier by Israeli tanks in the area in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza strip on July 11, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Palestinians inspect the destruction at a makeshift displacement camp following a reported incursion a day earlier by Israeli tanks in the area in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza strip on July 11, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
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52 Palestinians Including Children Killed in Israeli Airstrikes in Gaza

Palestinians inspect the destruction at a makeshift displacement camp following a reported incursion a day earlier by Israeli tanks in the area in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza strip on July 11, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Palestinians inspect the destruction at a makeshift displacement camp following a reported incursion a day earlier by Israeli tanks in the area in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza strip on July 11, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 28 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including four children, hospital officials said Saturday. Also, 24 others were fatally shot on their way to aid distribution sites.

The children and two women were among at least 13 people who were killed in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, after Israeli airstrikes pounded the area starting late Friday, officials in Al-Aqsa Martyr's Hospital said. Another four people were killed in strikes near a fuel station, and 15 others died in Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, according to Nasser Hospital.

The Israeli military said in a statement that over the past 48 hours, troops struck approximately 250 targets in the Gaza Strip, including militants, booby-trapped structures, weapons storage facilities, anti-tank missile launch posts, sniper posts, tunnels and additional Hamas infrastructure sites. The military did not immediately respond to The Associated Press' request for comment on the civilian deaths.

The Hamas-led group killed some 1,200 people in their Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and abducted 251. They still hold 50 hostages, less than half of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

Israel’s offensive has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry, which is under Gaza’s Hamas-run government, doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count. The UN and other international organizations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on war casualties.

US President Donald Trump has said that he is closing in on another ceasefire agreement that would see more hostages released and potentially wind down the war. But after two days of talks this week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu there were no signs of a breakthrough.