It has been quite some time since the Syrian Arab Army’s 5th Armored Division has launched any-sort of offensive to retake the territory lost in the provincial capital of the Dara’a Governorate to the Free Syrian Army’s “Southern Front Brigades” last year; however, this changed on Saturday morning when the Syrian Armed Forces restarted military operations at the Dara’a Al-Balad Quarter.

Last week, the Syrian Arab Army’s 5th Armored Division – in coordination with the National Defense Forces (NDF) of Dara’a City – recaptured the remaining territory under the Free Syrian Army’s control in the Al-Manishiyah Quarter, securing over 19 building blocks en route to the Dara’a National Hospital, which was located in the Dara’a Al-Balad Quarter.

On Saturday morning, the Syrian Arab Army’s 5th Armored Division and the National Defense Forces launched their first offensive in the Dara’a Al-Balad Quarter to reclaim the southern part of the provincial capital; this proved successful, as the Syrian Armed Forces were able to clear-out several contested areas near the Dara’a National Hospital and its surrounding residential buildings

For over six hours, the Syrian Armed Forces pounded the Free Syrian Army’s frontline defenses at the Dara’a Al-Balad Quarter, leaving several enemy combatants dead, while also destroying several sites belonging to the Islamist rebel groups.

The firefights between the Syrian Armed Forces and the Free Syrian Army dissipated by nightfall on Saturday, as the Syrian Arab Air Force (SAAF) emerged to deliver one last powerful blow to the Islamist rebels before concluding the battle for the night.