BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian army helicopters have dropped leaflets over rebel-held parts of the country's south calling on civilians to help the military clear the area of militants.

The government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media said Tuesday the leaflets were dropped over the rebel-held villages of Dael and Ibtah.

Syrian government forces have been massing troops ahead of a possible attack on the region that borders Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

President Bashar Assad said last week that contacts are "ongoing" between the Russians, the U.S., and the Israelis, adding that the relationship between Syria and Iran "will not be part of any settlement" and is "not in the international bazaar."

There has been speculation that Iran might pull its forces back from near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights in some kind of settlement.