Syrian opposition seizes Jordan border crossing

The Nusra Front media office in the southern province of Daraa said fighters from Nusra and other opposition factions attacked and seized the Nasib border crossing and its customs checkpoint after fighting with Syrian regime forces stationed there.

The battle ended with the opposition seizing full control of the crossing after the withdrawal of the remaining regime forces towards the Suwayda governorate along a military road, parallel to the Syrian-Jordanian border.

On Thursday Nusra Front's Al-Manara Al-Bayda media outlet posted videos and images of its fighters at the border.

Activist Haitham al-Hariri told al-Araby al-Jadeed that the Free Syrian Army's Southern Hawks Alliance initiated the attack on the border crossing from nearby checkpoints that the opposition had seized nearly six months ago.

Hariri said that Syrian regime forces responded to the opposition attack by targeting the nearby towns of Tayyeba, Nasib and Um al-Mayazin with mortar rounds, explosive barrels and fighter jet missiles. But the regime's raids did not prevent opposition forces from continuing their attack on the border crossing and its customs checkpoint.

Nasib is the only functioning crossing between Jordan and Syria and is considered a major gateway for Syria's government and for Syrian, Lebanese and Jordanian traders and merchants.

Jordan closed the Nasib checkpoint at the beginning of the opposition attack on Wednesday afternoon, following a video statement by the leaders of the Southern Hawks Alliance. The opposition dubbed the operation "The battle to avenge the prisoners," a response to thousands of leaked images of prisoners who were tortured to death in regime prisons.

With this development at the Nasib border crossing, which saw the largest movement between the two countries, the Syrian opposition forces now have full control of the Daraa-Jordan borders.

With additional reporting by AP.