The Syrian army pushed into the edges of former rebel-held Quneitra province on Saturday, as aid provided by France and Russia arrived in the country in the first joint humanitarian aid operation between Russia and a Western country.

The delivery came as Russian President Vladimir Putin and French leader Emmanuel Macron on Saturday discussed "humanitarian aspects of the Syria settlement," including the joint mission "to render assistance to the population of Eastern Ghouta," the Kremlin said.

The operation was agreed upon by Putin and Macron during talks in Saint Petersburg in May.

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A Russian Antonov-124 Ruslan military cargo plane delivered more than 40 metric tons of medical aid and humanitarian supplies to the Russian military base in Hmeimim after departing from the central French city of Chateauroux early Saturday, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The aid includes medicine, medical equipment, clothes and tents, and is to be given to residents of eastern Ghouta on the edge of the capital, Damascus. Eastern Ghouta was retaken by government forces in April after a five-year siege.

It will be distributed under the supervision of the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid (OCHA).

Syrian forces retake rebel areas

Syrian forces meanwhile have been able to close in on the southwestern area of rebel-held Quneitra province following a deal negotiated between Russian forces and the rebels last week that saw hundreds of rebels and their families evacuated from the area.

The army and its allies made advances that have brought it closer to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, state television and the rebels said.

The offensive has allowed the Syrian government to restore control over a section of the strategic territory, which borders Jordan and Israel.

The evacuations from Quneitra province came after a Russia-brokered agreement was reached earlier this week to see rebels hand over the territory to the Syrian regime.

The deal reached between Russian officers and the insurgents provided safe passage to rebels rather than a return to state rule, while offering others who decide to stay guarantees against army advances in their own localities, rebels said.

Syria: Assad takes border crossing as rebels agree to deal Sustained bombardment Syrian regime troops, backed by allies Russia and Iran, stepped up attacks on Daraa province in the country's south this week after the rebels rejected the terms of an earlier ceasefire offer.

Syria: Assad takes border crossing as rebels agree to deal Campaign in Daraa In the wake of a massive Russian-backed air and ground offensive, which has been ongoing since mid-June, government soldiers have been able to recapture large parts of Daara. The violence has driven hundreds of thousands of civilians from their homes.

Syria: Assad takes border crossing as rebels agree to deal The human cost The offensive prompted more than 330,000 residents to flee towards the sealed borders of Israel and Jordan. Many were forced to camp in open spaces or makeshift shelters.

Syria: Assad takes border crossing as rebels agree to deal 'Wave of displacement' According to the United Nations children's agency, UNICEF, it was the "largest wave of displacement to hit southern Syria since the start of the seven-year-long war." The agency said more than 60 children had been killed in the past three weeks in southern Syria alone.

Syria: Assad takes border crossing as rebels agree to deal Crucial crossing Regime troops reached the main border crossing with Jordan on Friday and raised the Syrian flag, state media said. Naseeb border came under rebel control in 2015, disrupting a major trade route between Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and oil-rich gulf countries. Its recapture potentially means Syria can resume exports to Arab nations; in that sense it marks a significant victory for President Bashar Assad.

Syria: Assad takes border crossing as rebels agree to deal Ceasefire deal State news agency SANA said the capture of the crossing happened after a deal was reached between rebels and Russian mediators to end fighting in southern Syria. Ibrahim Jabawi, spokesman for the rebels' joint operations room, said the insurgents agreed to handover their weapons in return for a government pullout from several villages. It's not clear when the reported deal goes into effect. Author: Natalie Muller



Rebels evacuate

Some 50 buses transporting rebels and their families on Saturday reached the Morek transit route in the north of Hama province, which connects regime and rebel-held territories, an AFP correspondent at the scene said.

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The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) monitor said the first convoy to reach Morek transported around 2,800 people.

They were then to be transferred to other buses run by local NGOs, before continuing north to temporary camps in rebel-held areas in Idlib and Aleppo provinces, SOHR said.

"More than half of the evacuees are women and children," said SOHR head Rami Abdel Rahman. "A second wave of departures is expected from Quneitra," he added.

Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? War with no end Syria has been engulfed in a devastating civil war since 2011 after Syrian President Bashar Assad lost control over large parts of the country to multiple revolutionary groups. The conflict has since drawn in foreign powers and brought misery and death to Syrians.

Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The dictator Syria's army, officially known as the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), is loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and is fighting to restore the president's rule over the entire country. The SAA has been fighting alongside a number of pro-Assad militias such as the National Defense Force and has cooperated with military advisors from Russia and Iran, which back Assad.

Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The northern watchman Turkey, which is also part of the US-led coalition against IS, has actively supported rebels opposed to Assad. It has a tense relationship with its American allies over US cooperation with Kurdish fighters, who Ankara says are linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighting in Turkey. Turkey has launched multiple military offensives targeting Kurdish militias.

Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The eastern guardian The Kremlin has proven to be a powerful friend to Assad. Russian air power and ground troops officially joined the fight in September 2015 after years of supplying the Syrian army. Moscow has come under fire from the international community for the high number of civilian casualties during its airstrikes. However, Russia's intervention turned the tide in war in favor of Assad.

Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The western allies A US-led coalition of more than 50 countries, including Germany, began targeting IS and other terrorist targets with airstrikes in late 2014. The anti-IS coalition has dealt major setbacks to the militant group. The US has more than a thousand special forces in the country backing the Syrian Democratic Forces.

Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The rebels The Free Syrian Army grew out of protests against the Assad regime that eventually turned violent. Along with other non-jihadist rebel groups, it seeks the ouster of President Assad and democratic elections. After suffering a number of defeats, many of its members defected to hardline militant groups. It garnered some support from the US and Turkey, but its strength has been greatly diminished.

Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The resistance Fighting between Syrian Kurds and Islamists has become its own conflict. The US-led coalition against the "Islamic State" has backed the Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias. The Kurdish YPG militia is the main component of the SDF. The Kurds have had a tacit understanding with Assad.

Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The new jihadists "Islamic State" (IS) took advantage of regional chaos to capture vast swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria in 2014. Seeking to establish its own "caliphate," IS has become infamous for its fundamentalist brand of Islam and its mass atrocities. IS is on the brink of defeat after the US and Russia led separate military campaigns against the militant group.

Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The old jihadists IS is not the only terrorist group that has ravaged Syria. A number of jihadist militant groups are fighting in the conflict, warring against various rebel factions and the Assad regime. One of the main jihadist factions is Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, which controls most of Idlib province and has ties with al-Qaeda.

Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The Persian shadow Iran has supported Syria, its only Arab ally, for decades. Eager to maintain its ally, Tehran has provided Damascus with strategic assistance, military training and ground troops when the conflict emerged in 2011. The Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah also supports the Assad regime, fighting alongside Iranian forces and paramilitary groups in the country. Author: Elizabeth Schumacher, Alexander Pearson



Regime forces close in on Daraa

The Russian deal with the rebels also allows the return of Syrian army brigades that existed before the 2011 conflict back to where they were stationed near a 1974 demilitarized zone with Israel on the Golan frontier.

President Bashar Assad's troops launched their southern offensive on June 19, targeting the province of Daraa before turning their attention to neighboring Quneitra. The regime has now captured more than 90 percent of Daraa.

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On Friday, 11 children were among 26 civilians killed in airstrikes that hit several towns in the area, the SOHR said.

The Syrian conflict has killed more than 350,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011 with a brutal government crackdown on protesters.

law/tj (AFP, Reuters)