are not backing down in west Daraa, despite facing an overwhelming force from the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and their air force.Led by their elite Tiger Forces, the Syrian Army is attempting to advance in the western countryside of Daraa in a bid to force the remaining jihadist rebels to surrender the area.
However,
we can't all be heroes. Somebody has to sit on the curb and applaud when they go by...
Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham has repeatedly refused to surrender in this area, as they control the highest point in the western countryside of Daraa.
For Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, as long as they control the large hilltop of Tal al-Harrah, they will have fire control over a large area between the Daraa and A-Quneitra governorates.
Furthermore, as long as they can withstand the Syrian Air Force’s bombardment, they can hold out on this hilltop for quite a while.
The Syrian Army does not want to storm Tal al-Harrah and they are hoping that their heavy bombardment will ultimately convince Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham to either withdraw to al-Quneitra or leave for northern Syria.
Unlike the Free Syrian Army
... the more palatable version of the Syrian insurgency, heavily influenced by the Moslem Brüderbund...
(FSA) and the other non-jihadist rebel groups, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham is a hard-line group that the Syrian government will not reconcile with.
So when it comes to battles like this, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham has only two options: leave or fight.