BEIRUT: Syrian government forces have captured new areas south of the capital Damascus near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, increasing pressure on insurgents.

The government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media reported that Syrian troops and their allies captured on Monday three new areas from Al Qaeda-linked Levant Liberation Committee. It added troops are now about 500 metres from the shrine of Sheikh Abdullah that is sacred to the country’s Druze community.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Right said the fighters are now besieged in the village of Beit Jin and nearby areas after a 10-day intense offensive. It added that negotiations are underway to evacuate insurgents to the rebel-held northwestern province of Idlib.

Israel has been concerned about the push by Syrian troops and their Iran-backed allies close to its border.

The fight against the Daesh group is mostly over, and the war in Syria may finally be winding down. The region is transitioning from fighting those wars to dealing with their aftermath — the destruction and dispersal of populations they wrought and the political fallout. Iran’s influence has grown after its proxies were generally successful, and even its nuclear deal with the West remains in place.

Associated Press