Airstrike on Syria shelter kills 17 in country’s southwest — report

A barrage of airstrikes hits rebel-held areas in southwestern Syria, killing at least 17 civilians hiding in an underground shelter as government forces press their offensive to reclaim a region that was until recently part of a US-backed and negotiated truce.

The strategic southwestern corner of Syria extends from the border with Jordan in the south to the western frontier with the Israeli Golan Heights. It also lies south of the capital, Damascus, and has been under a so-called de-escalation agreement reached between Russia, the main government ally, the United States and Jordan in July last year.

The truce unraveled in recent weeks, triggering a wave of displacement within the southwestern Daraa province and along the border with Jordan. Aid groups have urged Jordan to allow Syrians fleeing the violence into the country.

The Britain-based Observatory for Human Rights describes Thursday’s airstrike in the town of al-Musayfrah in eastern Daraa as the worst violence since the government offensive began in the area on June 19.

The Syrian government troops are seeking to dislodge rebels who have been in the area for years, and gain control of the commercial border crossing with Jordan.

— AP