After the rebel capture of Wadi Barada, government forces imposed a siege on the villages,[23] with the UN and humanitarian assistance being repeatedly denied access to the locality between 2014 and 2017.

On 23 December 2016, alleging that rebels were polluting the water spring in Ain al-Fijah with diesel fuel, government forces conducted airstrikes and shelling on Wadi Barada.

[9] The opposition accused the government forces of targeting Ain al-Fijah and nearby villages with barrel bombs, leading to severe damage of the spring.

[32] Heavy clashes in the town continued on the next day, as local Jabhat Fateh al-Sham defenders attempted to halt the army and Hezbollah's advance, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

[4] On 3 January, according to social media posts and SOHR, rebels stated that they would let teams enter and fix the spring as long as the government would honor the ceasefire and lift the siege.

[33][34] Pro-government media reported that the government called for the rebels to surrender the water spring and restore the water supply for Damascus, and government forces proceeded to launch another attack on the following day, targeting the rebel-held village of Basimah, capturing several sites around the village, including Basimah Orphanage, which they claimed was used as rebel base,[13] while the SAA and Hezbollah ambushed what government sources described as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham fighters crossing from Lebanon into Syria, resulting in some casualties with the rest retreating to Arsal Municipality of the Beqa'a Governorate.

[12] On 6 January, pro-government media reported that the 4th Armoured Division under Maher al-Assad's command arrived in Wadi Barada to aid the government offensive,[7] and that the army then captured all hills overlooking Basimah.

[36] By 8 January, the government forces resumed their offensive, with al-Masdar saying they captured the hills northwest of Deir Maqran, most importantly Tal Dahr Al-Masabi.

[37] On 10 January, al-Masdar said that Russian Air Force conducted airstrikes against rebels in the area for the first time, while the Syrian Army also bombarded targets near the villages of Basimah and Deir Maqran.

[43][44] On late 14 January, government media said that maintenance vehicles arrived at the Ain Al-Fijah springs, along with some buses to transport rebels to Idlib Governorate.

[47][48] On the next day, Hezbollah-led forces advanced into the outskirts of Ain Al-Fijah and captured the hill of Ra’s al-Sirah to the town's north, resulting in fierce fighting with rebel fighters.

[5] Later on, the first buses carrying rebels left for Idlib, while al-Masdar News reported that some Jabhat Fatah al-Sham fighters attacked other opposition groups in Kafr az Zayt due to disagreements over the ceasefire.