Syria regime kills former opposition leader after meeting with Daraa military official

The Syrian regime killed former opposition leader Khaldoun Badawi Al-Zoubi on Thursday night near Daraa city in the country's south.

A second former rebel leader, Muhammad Jadallah Al-Zoubi, was wounded by regime gunfire, The New Arab's Arabic-language sister service, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, reported.

Khaldoun and four members of his entourage were killed while returning from a meeting in Daraa city with Louay Al-Ali, the regime's Military Security Branch leader in Daraa province, said activist Abu Al-Baraa Al-Hourani.

Al-Hourani said an ambush took place near a regime checkpoint in the Al-Maftrah area of Daraa province.

The activist said Khaldoun and those with him were targeted with RPG and machine-gun fire.

The Syrian North Press Agency (NPA) cited a local source as saying Khaldoun, Muhammad and their entourage were travelling in three cars.

After an RPG was fired at Khaldoun's vehicle, the two sides fought for half hour, NPA reported.

In addition to those killed, four others with the former opposition leaders were wounded and taken to hospital.

According to Al-Hourani, Al-Ali was the one who invited Khaldoun and Muhammad to meet in Daraa city, where he asked them to join the Military Security Branch.

Khaldoun, Muhammad and those with them declined, Al-Hourani said, adding that he believes "the ambush was prepared in advance in case they refused".

Khaldoun was the former head of the Liwa Fajr Al-Islam opposition faction, while Muhammad was a military leader in the group, Al-Hourani said.

They had been affiliated with the regime's forces since a Russian-brokered July 2018 reconciliation agreement, which saw Daraa province return to regime control after seven years as an opposition stronghold following the 2011 Syrian Revolution.

Many young men in Syria's southern Daraa province are refusing to join the Assad regime's military forces.

But they now fear for their fate as a conscription deadline approaches ⬇ https://t.co/yOYblv7tAG

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) April 6, 2022

Khaldoun was opposed to the Iranian presence in Daraa province, Al-Hourani said, and his death is a major boost for Tehran's ambitions in the region.

The province remains restive and unstable, with frequent incidents targeting both regime troops and former opposition fighters.

A military base supported by Iran-backed fighters is located near Tafas, the Daraa province city where Khaldoun is from, according to Al-Hourani.

Iran is a key backer of the regime of President Bashar Al-Assad.

Hundreds of people attended a funeral in Tafas for Khaldoun and three others killed in the ambush, according to sources cited by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.