Syria to attack last rebel base near capital

A Syrian army commander, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the new offensive would target Islamic State (IS) and Nusra Front militants in the Yarmouk camp and al-Hajar al-Aswad district. Rebel groups in the nearby Beit Sahm area would also withdraw by bus after reaching an agreement with the government, according toReuters.

Recapturing the Yarmouk camp and surrounding areas of the southern city would give President Bashar al-Assad full control of the Syrian capital, further consolidating his power.

Yarmouk, Syria’s largest camp for Palestinian refugees since the mid-20th century, has been under IS control for several years. Although most residents have fled Yarmouk, the United Nations says thousands remain trapped.

The offensive in Eastern Ghouta began in February and ended on April 14 with a government victory, just hours after the US and its allies launched airstrikes in Syria, creating great momentum for the upcoming offensive.After retaking Eastern Ghouta, Mr. Assad still has to retake several small areas as well as two major areas in the northwest and southwest from the rebels.

Besides south of Damascus, rebels still hold the town of Dumayr northeast of Damascus, the eastern Qalamoun mountains, and around Rastan, in northern Homs province.

The commander said the Syrian army was preparing for military operations in eastern Qalamoun but Russia was arranging for the militants to withdraw peacefully. Syrian state television said on April 17 that rebels in Dumayr had also agreed to withdraw.

In northwest Syria, the largest area still under rebel control, a government offensive could put Damascus on a collision course with Türkiye, which has set up several military observation posts in the area.

During a visit to Damascus last week, Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior Iranian official, said he hoped the army would soon retake Idlib and other northeastern areas of Syria currently under the control of a coalition of Kurdish and Arab forces supported by Washington.

More than 500,000 people have died in the Syrian crisis. The Middle Eastern country has also become a place where the interests of world powers are calculated.

With the support of Russian air power since late 2015, President Assad has regained most of Syria, making his position the most consolidated since the conflict broke out in the country seven years ago.

On April 14, the US-UK-France coalition launched a coordinated attack on Syria with 105 missiles. This attack was a response by the US and its allies after the Syrian government accused them of using chemical weapons to attack the city of Douma, Eastern Ghouta, killing dozens of people.Damascus and Moscow denied the accusations, insisting that there was no chemical attack in Douma and that what happened was a "staged" incident.

A team of inspectors from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) arrived in Douma on April 17. The OPCW team will collect samples, interview witnesses, and document evidence to determine whether banned toxic substances were used there.