Syria's Quneitra Province, on Israel's Doorstep

Syria's Quneitra province, where rebels have agreed to surrender zones they control after a heavy regime assault, is key because it borders the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Here is some background about the crescent-shaped southwestern province, chunks of which started falling under the control of rebels and jihadists around five years ago.

- On Israel's doorstep -Quneitra borders the buffer zone with the Israeli-annexed part of the rocky plateau known as the Golan Heights.

Israel seized 1,200 square kilometres (460 square miles) of the Golan area from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it, in a move never recognised internationally.

- Under rebel control -In March 2013 rebels fighting the regime of President Bashar al-Assad launched coordinated attacks in the area and started claiming parts of the province.

The following year the rebel fighters and jihadists from Al-Qaeda's Syria branch expanded their zone of control.

Before the regime started bombing the area in mid-July 2018, rebels and jihadist groups controlled 70 percent of Quneitra, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

- Israel-Syria flashpoint -After decades of calm, tensions began flaring up again in the Golan with the start of the 2011 uprising against Assad's regime.

The area has witnessed fierce fighting between rebels and the regime, with fire occasionally landing in occupied territory and prompting Israeli retaliation.

Israel in particular objects to foreign fighters allied to the regime having a presence close to its borders: namely, Iranian forces or units from Lebanese militia Hezbollah.

Clashes have broken out along the sensitive border in recent months, with Israel shooting at army positions and drones around the Golan.

In July 2018, Israel carried out missile strikes on Syrian military posts in Quneitra after intercepting what it said was an unarmed drone that had strayed into its territory.

- New regime target -Quneitra is part of a "de-escalation zone" created in a 2017 deal between Russia and Iran, allies of Syria's regime, and Turkey, which backs the rebels.

But it became a new front for advancing Syrian forces in the past week, after they reestablished their authority over most of neighbouring Daraa province.

Almost all of Daraa, largely known as the birthplace of Syria's seven-year uprising, has fallen to regime forces through a blend of military pressure and surrender deals.

The regime launched its assault on Quneitra with an onslaught of hundreds of missiles and shells, as well as ground attacks.

Dozens of jihadists, rebels, and government forces have been killed, as well as civilians.

On July 17 aerial bombardments killed at least 15 civilians in Ain al-Tina, a village in Quneitra.

Two days later, an opposition negotiator and the Observatory announced rebels had agreed to allow regime forces to take over opposition territory in Quneitra and the buffer zone.