Around noon today, rebel factions in Syria’s southern province of Daraa attacked ISIS outposts at the Sahm Dam and were able to capture the entire Saham al-Jawlan lake after ISIS fighters retreated to the nearby town of Nafi’yah.

While Free Syrian Army (FSA) groups were said to have spearheaded today’s offensive, they were aided by Islamist units of Jabhat al-Nusra, the Islamic Front and Ahrar ash-Sham.

This capture comes on top of a string of rebel advances against two ISIS-affiliated former rebel groups; namely the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade and the Islamic Muthanna Movement.

With the Islamic State conceding approximately 10 villages and towns in Daraa province within the past 30 days, their fighters are now attempting to fortify the remaining ISIS strongholds of Nafi’yah and Ash Sharajah.

Nevertheless, rebel forces will likely attempt to recapture these ISIS-held towns that were lost due to the defection of the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade and Islamic Muthanna Movement in 2014.

Remarkably, this somewhat vulnerable ISIS enclave has been established at the very border of Jordan and Israel.

However, Israeli and Jordanian jets are yet to target ISIS insurgents inside Daraa as they seem to rely entirely upon Syrian rebels to do the dirty work.

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Chris Tomson
Student currently living in Denmark. Special focus on news from Syria, MENA map-making and strategical military analysis.

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