RNA - Major General Ali Maqsoud noted that Wadi al-Bardi's importance is more than simply supplying drinking water for Damascus, and said the region is linked to al-Zabadani and al-Madhaya from the West and connects al-Qalamoun to al-Haramoun to have a strategic importance.
"The Zionist regime seeks to surround Damascus via al-Qalamoun-al-Haramoun path," he warned.
"The Syrian army's control over al-Madhaya, al-Zabadani, Deir Qanoun, Ain al-Fijeh and Basima provoked Israel's attack against al-Mezzeh region and Israel attempted to support the terrorists with this attack and prevent the cut-off of their supply route and recapturing of all these regions by the Syrian army which would result in failure of the plots to surround Damascus," Maqsoud said.
In relevant remarks on Saturday, adviser to Syrian information minister Ali Ahmad said that Israel bombed Syria when it felt falling morale of terrorists, thus encouraging and supporting them.
"When Israel attacks Damascus, it cannot be taken as an isolated case. When Israel feels weakness in the body of the terrorists in Syria, it is trying to encourage and support terrorists and does so by bombing [Syria]," Ahmad said.
He added that the West and Israel did not want peaceful life to return to Syria as "functioning of the Syrian government does not correspond to the interests of Israel, and so they want to support terrorists and to strengthen them."
On Thursday night, Israel conducted heavy bombing of al-Mezzeh military airport near Damascus.
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