A/HRC/39/65 instances where the siege was temporarily eased, the camp was still extremely hard to reach for humanitarian actors. A majority of the 10,000 civilians who had remained trapped inside Yarmouk until its recapture on 21 May were forcibly displaced pursuant to an “evacuation agreement”. Dara’a governorate 47. After securing the northern Homs pocket (see paras. 32-35 above) and Yarmouk camp (see paras. 41-46 above), pro-government forces turned their attention south-west, steadily advancing in Dara’a governorate throughout June and capturing territory east of the M5 highway. Dara’a, the cradle of the Syrian uprising, had significant symbolic value for the pro-government forces. Several towns, including Busra al-Harir and Herak, were largely destroyed during air and artillery bombardments in operations carried out using conventional, low-accuracy, industrially produced munitions, and cargo rockets with highly explosive and incendiary submunitions, short-range thermobaric munitions, improvised models with over-calibre warheads, and artillery guns and mortars. 48. Armed groups offered mild resistance, while many retreated alongside civilians fleeing south. The effect of heavy bombardments became evident by late June, as armed groups and civilians found themselves pressed against the border with Jordan, without humanitarian aid (see paras. 84–85 below) and vulnerable to encroaching attacks. 49. Initial negotiations for a ceasefire coordinated by the Russian Federation in early July quickly broke down, and were followed by intensified bombardment beyond previous levels. When armed groups made their handover of heavy weapons conditional on the return of displaced civilians, pro-government forces resumed bombarding towns, ceasing only when the armed groups reached a local truce and “evacuation agreement” on 6 July. Upon securing control over most of Dara’a and evacuating fighters and civilians on 15 July, pro-government forces began operations on the same day against positions of armed groups near the Golan Heights. 50. While parts of Dara’a governorate remained under the control of armed groups during the period under review, government forces consistently held other parts of fractured Dara’a city, with lines of territorial control divided by the Zaidi valley. Western rural Dara’a was under the control of ISIL affiliates, while FSA-affiliated forces controlled the eastern side. Idlib governorate 51. Idlib governorate, the last major stronghold under the control of armed groups and terrorist organizations, witnessed outbreaks of violence throughout the period under review. Towards late 2017, pro-government forces heightened aerial attacks over both Idlib and adjacent areas, renewing offensives in late January, late March and early June. The organized evacuations of members of armed groups and terrorist organizations countrywide to Idlib contributed further to an already precarious situation on the ground, as infighting among them continued to have an impact on civilian life. Many such groups, often with competing agendas and extremist ideologies, have been vying for control over limited resources and beleaguered civilian populations. 52. After Ahrar al-Sham and Nour al-Din al-Zenki merged on 18 February to form Jabhat Tahrir Souriya (see para. 6 above), infighting between Jabhat Tahrir Souriya and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham increased dramatically. When members of Jabhat Tahrir Souriya murdered a commander of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham on 16 February, clashes between the two groups spread to western Aleppo and northern Idlib, affecting civilian life in more than 20 towns and localities, including Maarrat al-Nu’man, Ariha and Tramla. By the end of February, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham had lost control of most territories in Aleppo, causing the terrorist group to retreat to north-west Idlib. In early March, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham initiated a counteroffensive in Idlib to retake the territories. Meanwhile, attacks by pro-government forces continued to affect civilians throughout the governorate. 53. Beginning in late January, pro-government forces increased airstrikes over northwest Idlib, targeting civilian and specially protected objects, including medical facilities, 10