Intensive aerial bombardment targets IS-held area in Syria's Daraa

DAMASCUS - Over 1,000 airstrikes targeted an area controlled by the Islamic State in the southern province of Daraa, a monitor group reported on Saturday.

The airstrikes targeted the Yarmouk Basin, the only remaining area under the control of Khalid Bin al-Walid militant group, which is allied with the IS in the southwestern countryside of Daraa, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The watchdog group said 30,000 civilians are taken as human shields by the IS-allied group in the Yarmouk Basin area, near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

The Syrian army has already captured over 90 percent of Daraa through the military campaign and reconciliation deals since June 19 in Daraa.

Earlier in the day, state news agency SANA said the rebels in Daraa are handing over their weapons to the army, adding that those who reject the reconciliation are leaving towards rebel-held areas in northern Syria.

In the nearby province of Quneitra, the second batch of rebels and their families, who refused to reconcile with the government, left towards rebel-held areas in Idlib province in northwestern Syria.

The evacuation of rebels from Quneitra is the result of a deal reached recently for the full withdrawal of rebels.

Both Daraa and Quneitra are key provinces for the Syrian army due to their proximity to Jordan and the Golan Heights.

The Syrian army launched the offensive against the rebels in southern Syria late last month, following the army's major victory in the capital Damascus.

With the Russian support, reconciliation deals are reached in several areas, enabling the army to recapture many areas without battles.

Government officials in Syria stressed the Syrian army's determination to capture all Syrian areas.