Syrian army breaks IS siege in eastern city

BEIRUT / Reuters

Syrian government forces advanced against IS on Tuesday to reach troops surrounded for years by the extremists in a government-held enclave in the eastern city of Deir al-Zor, pro-Damascus media outlets and a monitoring group reported.
“The Syrian army and its allies break the siege on Deir al-Zor,” a military media unit run by Syria’s ally Hezbollah said. State television and the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported that advancing Syrian forces had linked up with government troops in Deir al-Zor.
The army and its allies had made lightning advances in recent days and pushed through IS lines to within kilometres of
Deir al-Zor. IS had since 2014 besieged the government-held enclave, where some 93,000 civilians live and an army garris
on is stationed.
Deir al-Zor is located southeast of IS’s former stronghold Raqqa, most of which has been captured in a separate offensive by US-backed Syrian militias. IS fighters are believed to have fled to areas around Deir al-Zor as the group loses areas of Raqqa. Both cities lie in oil-rich areas on the Euphrates river.