Syrian soldiers pose with gestures during a military operation in the desert of Sweida province, on July 11, 2017. The Syrian forces unleashed a wide-scale offensive against Islamic State (IS) in the northeastern countryside of Sweida province in southern Syria on Monday. The Syrian army said Tuesday the military operation launched in Sweida targeted IS militants only, which didn't violate truce deal in southern Syria. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)
SWEIDA, Syria, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army said Tuesday the military operation launched in Sweida targeted Islamic State (IS) militants only, which didn't violate truce deal in southern Syria.
The Syrian forces unleashed a wide-scale offensive against IS in the northeastern countryside of Sweida province in southern Syria on Monday.
The army has made strides in the battle against IS, as part of a greater operation in the Syrian desert area as a whole to eradicate IS presence near the Iraqi and Jordanian borders, it said.
"An operation has been launched against Daesh (Arabic acronym of Islamic State) in the countryside of Sweida, where the Syrian forces liberated between 300 and 400 square kilometers," the officer told Xinhua.
He added that the operation has a strategic importance to sever the links of IS between areas in Sweida and the depth of the desert and the countryside of Damascus.
"The strategic importance of this operation is to sever Daesh's supply routes and allied terrorist groups between areas near the Jordanian borders and the depth of the Syrian desert and the Eastern Ghouta countryside of Damascus."
Meanwhile, the officer stressed that the operation in Sweida is targeting IS only, in response to some opposition allegations that the operation there violates the U.S.-Russian ceasefire agreement in southern Syria.
The officer stressed that the ceasefire and de-escalation zone deal is in the interest of the Syrian army.
He said the ceasefire, which went into force on Sunday, is still holding despite some breaches.
