The regime army has sent new reinforcement to southern Daraa province as preparations continue for an imminent offensive against rebels, activists said Sunday.
The southwest is one of the big chunks of territory that still remains outside the control of the regime, which has recovered swathes of territory with the support of the Russian military and Iranian-backed Shiite militias.
Fighting in southwestern Syria has been contained since last year by a "de-escalation" agreement brokered by Russia, the United States and Jordan.
Russia said that only regime army troops should be at the southern border with Jordan and Israel; the latter of which has waged airstrikes in Syria to curb what it fears is Iran's expanding influence.
A senior Jordanian official told Reuters last week that the three countries that signed last year's deal to create the zone "saw eye to eye" on the need to preserve it as a key step to boosting efforts to reach a political solution in Syria.
Syrian activists released footage on social media of a rebel commander admitting collusion with the regime army in Daraa.
Abou al-Majed, commander of the Ansar aI-Islam rebel group admitted to his military commanders that he was collaborating with the Assad army.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
