Report: 28,000 Syrian refugees returning home after peace deal

A Russian-backed peace agreement was reached between the Syrian army and Syrian rebels in southern Syria on Friday, and thousands of Syrians who fled the fighting began returning to their homes.

By YASSER OKBI/MAARIV, JPOST.COM STAFF, REUTERS
Updated: JULY 8, 2018 09:53
Russian-backed attack pummels southwest Syria, July 5, 2018 (Reuters)
28,000 Syrian refugees are are on route back to their homes in southern Syria, The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Saturday.
A Russian-backed peace agreement was reached between the Syrian army and Syrian rebels in southern Syria on Friday, and thousands of Syrians who fled the fighting began to return to their homes in eastern Daraa, covered under the truce deal.
In a live broadcast from the Nassib border crossing with Jordan, state television showed groups of Syrian army soldiers flashing victory signs, cheering for Assad, and tearing up insurgent flags.
Roughly 320,000 Syrians fled Syria since the fighting reached the city of Daraa located in the south of the country during June, the refugees fled to the Syrian borders with Jordan and Israel, respectively, believing that the Syrian army would not engage in fighting in these two locations.
Both Israel and Jordan, which beefed up their border controls, said they would not let refugees in but distributed aid inside Syria.
Jordan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi stated that Jordan, now facing 60,000 refugees currently near its border with Syria, placed the safe return of Syrian refugees on the top of its priority list.
Writing on Twitter on Friday, Safadi stated that Jordan discussed "practical measures" with Syria about how to ensure the safe return of "our brothers" to their homes.
The military's next target in the southern offensive appears to be parts of the nearby Quneitra province that are in rebel hands on the Golan frontier.