Syrian rebels launched a wide-ranging offensive against government positions near the Israeli Golan Heights on Wednesday, activists say.
The rebels of the Southern Front alliance and the so-called Haramoun Army target several areas in the Golan, including the towns and villages of Quneitra, Khan Arnabeh, Baath, Jiba and the base of Brigade 90, the main government force in the region, says opposition activist Jamal al-Jolani, who is based in southern Syria.
“The fighting now is inside the city of Quneitra,” al-Jolani says via Skype. He says the Haramoun Army — which includes al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate and the ultraconservative Ahrar al-Sham — are shelling the area while Southern Front fighters are advancing on the ground.
Smoke rises following an explosion in Syria’s Quneitra province as Syrian rebels clash with President Bashar Assad’s forces, seen from the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights (photo credit: AP/Ariel Schalit, File)
Explosions from the fighting could be seen from the Israeli Golan Heights several miles away. A Syrian government helicopter could be heard dropping bombs on rebel targets as tanks, believed to belong to the rebels, fired back. An Israeli warplane flew along the frontier as a precautionary move.
— AP, Times of Israel staff
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