Syria’s army has launched an assault on rebel-held areas of the divided city of Deraa, after making significant gains elsewhere in the country’s south-west.
State media said troops had stepped up their bombardment ahead of an operation to take the road linking Deraa with the nearby Jordanian border.
Earlier, they cut in half a strip of rebel-held territory running north from the city by capturing two key towns.
Some 45,000 people have been displaced by the fighting in the past week.
The south-west has been relatively calm since last July because of a “de-escalation” agreement brokered by the US and Jordan, which support the opposition, and Russia, a key ally of the government.
However, President Bashar al-Assad has set his sights on retaking it since defeating rebels in the Eastern Ghouta region outside Damascus in April.
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