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Beirut – The bombing of areas still held by rebels in southern Syria resumed on Wednesday night after the insurgents announced a failed negotiations with Russia, the regime's ally, seeking to convince them to surrender their weapons.
According to a source of close opposition talks, the Russian delegation warned on Tuesday that the rebels Wednesday would be the " last day " for the negotiations and that they should give their " final answer ".
On 19 June, the regime's forces launched an offensive to retake the insurgent territories of southern Syria, a sensitive area bordering the border with Jordan and the Golan Heights largely occupied by Israel.
Adopting a strategy combining deadly bombings and Moscow-sponsored negotiations, the power of President Bashar al-Assad has reconquered some 30 rebel localities in the province of Deraa, including agreements known as " reconciliation "which are similar to capitulations.
A pause in the fighting began four days ago to pave the way for negotiations between the Russians and the rebels who still control areas in the south.
But the insurgents announced Wednesday " the failure " of the negotiations.
" The negotiations did not produce any results: the Russians insisted that heavy artillery (rebels) be abandoned in one go ," AFP told AFP. of a group of rebel factions, Ibrahim al-Jabbawi.
– Disagreement on arms –
" No negotiations under threat ", said in the evening on his Twitter account the grouping, calling for talks " under the auspices of the United Nations ".
A source of close opposition to the talks said the rebels were ready to abandon their heavy artillery, but gradually.
As a result of failed talks, air raids targeted four localities in Daraa province, led by Russia or the regime, for the first time in four days, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Man (OSDH).
During the negotiations, the Russians proposed that the rebels hand over their heavy and medium artillery and either join civilian life or enlist in pro-government anti-jihadist forces.
The Russian initiative refuses, for the south, any transfer of combatants or civilians to other insurgent regions in Syria, as was the case when other rebel strongholds were resumed.
The plan also provides for " the return of the army to its barracks " and government institutions in the area, as well as the deployment of the regime's police.
At the same time, diplomatic efforts continue, with a meeting in Moscow on Wednesday between Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
" The priority to resolve the situation in southern Syria is to find a political solution ," Safadi told a press conference, calling for a ceasefire.
The regime opened this new front in the south after consolidating its power over Damascus and its environs, chasing rebels and jihadists, and taking over other areas. It currently controls more than 60% of the territory, according to the OSDH.
– Displaced civilians –
Faced with the regime's offensive in the south, the international community proves once again powerless.
Since 2011, all international initiatives aimed at finding a solution to this conflict that has claimed more than 350,000 lives have failed.
The UN Security Council is scheduled to hold an emergency closed-door meeting Thursday to discuss the situation in the south, according to diplomatic sources.
The violence in this region has made between 270,000 and 330,000 displaced since June 19, according to the UN, some finding refuge near the Jordanian and Israeli borders, where they live in total destitution.
But neither Jordan nor Israel wants to welcome them and, faced with the risk of a humanitarian crisis, Human Rights Watch on Wednesday called on both countries to open their borders.
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