Syrian Flag Seen Flying Over Abandoned City In Golan As Push South Continues

Syrian Flag Seen Flying Over Long-Abandoned City in Golan Heights

The Syrian Army is continuing its lightning advance in the country's south and focusing on finishing off Islamist forces as other opposition militants switch sides or surrender.

Syrian forces raised the flag on Thursday as they continue their effort to restore government control over southern Syria and the strategic Golan Heights territory bordering Israel and Jordan, Reuters reported.

Uniformed men could be seen raising the Syrian flag in the abandoned capital of Quneitra province, which was destroyed by Israeli forces during their withdrawal from the area in 1974.

Also visible was the black, white, green and red flag of President Assad's Ba'ath Party. The photos were taken from the Israeli-occupied side of the Golan Heights, which overlooks Quneitra city.

The Syrian Army continues to fight Daesh* (ISIS) in the Yarmouk Basin in neighboring Daraa province.

Tensions over the strategic Golan Heights escalated in recent weeks amid the Syrian military's efforts to free the country's south from militant groups. Israel occupied much of Quneitra province in 1967 and formally annexed it in 1982. Amid the Syrian Army's latest operations, Tel Aviv has voiced concerns that Damascus may violate the 1974 agreement, which demilitarized much of the Golan, or allow Hezbollah or Iranian forces to deploy there.