Initial government advance On 7 February 2015, the Army's 5th Armored Division, along with reinforcements from the 7th Infantry Division, launched the offensive in the northern part of Daraa province. On 8 February, government forces bombarded multiple towns in Daraa province and heavy fighting ensued which left 11 rebels dead. The heaviest clashes occurred at Kafr Shams. The military also bombarded the towns of Om Batena and Mashara in the Quneitra province, as the Army's 9th Division launched an offensive in that governorate as well. According to a military source, government forces captured several hills. Meanwhile, in Rif Dimashq province government troops managed to capture Tall Marri hill, but were unable to advance towards the town of Deir Makir. The capture of Tall Marri hill was significant because it cut a rebel supply line and increased the isolation of rebel-held pockets around the city of Damascus. On 9 February, fighting erupted in Deir Makir and around Deir al-Adas in Daraa where four rebels were killed and two Army tanks were destroyed. By the end of the day, the Army, supported by the NDF, Hezbollah and Iranian fighters, advanced in the al-Ollayqat area near Deir al-Adas. Military sources reported that 65% Deir al-Adas, as well as Tal Ghasham near Kafr Shams, were captured. The Army also captured the village of Tayha. According to the rebels, government troops were supported by a large number of Afghan fighters as well during the offensive in Daraa and Rif Dimashq. On the morning of 10 February, the Army ambushed a group of Al-Nusra Front rebels at the village of Mahjat, in northern Daraa, leaving between 8 and 19 fighters dead. Meanwhile, fighting in Der al-Adas left another eight rebels dead, while government troops advanced and captured Deir Makir, al-Danaji and Habariyah. Later the military secured Deir al-Adas, with over 40 rebels and 23 soldiers being killed during the battle for the town. On 11 February, the Army and Hezbollah captured the hills of al-Arus and al-Sarja, near Deir Makir and al-Mseeh hill near Deir al Adas, and advanced towards Sultaniyah, which they bombarded. At this point, the second phase of the government's Daraa offensive was started with fighting happening all along the frontline. In Rif Dimashq, according to SOHR, fighting raged around Tall Fatima hill where a number of soldiers were captured, as well as around Hamrit with one tank being destroyed, and over Tall Antar and Tall Alaqiyah. On 12 February, rapid advances by government forces slowed because of a snowstorm in the region. Still, the military captured the Ghirbal area of the town of Kafr Nasij, where fighters from Deir al-Adas had retreated to and were continuing to fight. After this, the commander of the rebel FSA 24th Division issued an urgent call for reinforcements. Fierce fighting also occurred in Sultaniyah, while the Army seized Tall Fatima hill Kafr Shams was also coming under attack.
Offensive stalls In the following days, the rebels managed to recapture Tayha and Habariyah. On 14 February, government forces continued to bombard Kafr Shams, Kafr Nasij and Tall Antar hill. Two Iranian IRGC officers (one of them a colonel) were killed in Kafr Nasij that day, while two reporters from the pro-government
Al-Ekhbariya TV channel were wounded by rebel shelling on Deir al-Adas. According to the SOHR, 10 soldiers were executed on the charge of passing information to the enemy, An Al-Nusra Front counter-attack on Deir al-Adas was reportedly repelled with 19 rebels and 11 soldiers being killed. On 15 February, the Syrian Air Force resumed bombing rebel positions, after being forced to remain on the ground for five days due to bad weather conditions. Rebels claimed to have captured a senior Iranian officer and a Russian military missile system operator on the Daraa frontline. On 17 February, a Hezbollah attack on Mashara was repelled. At the same time, the al-Nusra Front started a counter-attack to recapture all ground lost since the start of the offensive and managed to advance near al-Danaji. On 19 February, the al-Nusra Front recaptured Tall Fatima and advanced towards Deir Maker. However, after fierce resistance from the 9th Armored Division, al-Nusra retreated to the recently captured hill after suffering 22 dead. The next day, a military source reported that Hezbollah continued their fierce assault on the al-Nusra Front south of the recently captured Syria Tel Hill, where they reportedly advanced further south in the village of Mashara, while in Al-Hamidiyyeh, the 9th Armored Division reportedly progressed towards the village cemetery after fierce clashes for two straight days. Later in the day, the Army recaptured Tall Fatima. However, on 21 February, fighting renewed for Tall Fatima. On 25 February, after three days of inactivity due to harsh weather, Hezbollah made an attempt to capture Al-Hamidiyyeh and reportedly killed 16 rebels.
Renewed government advance Over 27 and 28 February, government troops captured Sultaniyah, Habariyah, Hamrit and Sabsabah, as well as Tall Qrein and Tall Fatima hills. The battle for Tall Qrein lasted two hours. and around Kafr Nasij and Kafr Shams where government forces attempted to advance. During the two-day clashes, at least 26 soldiers and 19–51 rebels were killed. On 1 March, the Army made new attempts to advance at Kafr Shams, while they captured Tall al-Bazzaq and Rajm al-Sayd hill, also known as Tal al-Sayyad. Syrian troops and Hezbollah also managed to advance to within 10 kilometers from Tal al-Harra, capturing hills overlooking it. The Syrian Brigadier General Mahmoud Mustafa (commander of a commando unit) was reportedly killed in Hebbariye, Quneitra, that day. On 3 March, it was reported that seven Afghan pro-government fighters were buried, including the commander of the Afghan volunteer Fatemiyoun Brigade,
Alireza Tavassoli, who was killed on 28 February in Daraa province. That day, an operation room, consisting of
Jabhat al-Nusra,
Ahrar ash-Sham, Jamaat Bayt al-Maqdis al-Islamiya and the
Islamic Muthanna Movement, was established in Daraa. The Free Syrian Army's
First Army played a secondary role in this operation room. The reason for this, was the repeated failures to repel government attacks and the lack of unity among the moderate rebel groups. Most of the
Southern Front affiliated groups refused to play a significant role in the battle.
Offensive's second phase The second phase of the offensive started 4 March, with the military and Hezbollah attacking Tal Al-Mal, Kafr Shams and Kafr Nasij at the same time. At Tal Al-Mal, they reportedly managed to break through rebel defenses, while the clashes at Kafr Shams left 17 rebels and 8 soldiers dead, according to a military source. On 11 March, the Syrian Air Force bombed the headquarters of the
First Army in the southern countryside of Quneitra, killing a number of rebels including the First Army's commander. Four days later, Lebanese,
Hezbollah-affiliated, television station
Al-Manar reported that 120
Jabhat al-Nusra fighters, including three field commanders, were killed in another air-raid in Quneitra province. On 13 March, after almost two weeks of fighting, the military reportedly advanced towards the southwestern part of Kafr Nasij. ==Aftermath==