The Syrian army on Tuesday reached troops trapped for nearly three years by Isil fighters in the eastern city of Deir Ezzor, according to state-run media and a monitoring group, breaking one of the longest sieges of the Syrian civil war.

Around 100,000 residents have been holding out in the Syrian-government held half of the city, including the airport and an army base, since Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) seized control of the area in 2014.

"The Syrian Arab Army has advanced on the Brigade 137 base front on the western side of Deir Ezzor city and broken the siege imposed by the Daesh organisation," state news agency SANA said, using the Arabic acronym for Isil.

A local journalist told AFP that flags had been raised throughout the government-held area in anticipation of the arrival of the soldiers, and that jubilant residents were greeting one another: “Good morning of victory”. </s> With ISIS' three-year blockade of Deir ez-Zor effectively broken by government forces, the offensive against the terrorists continues. The Syrian army, supported by Russian forces from the air, has succeeded in breaking the siege of an important air base, thereby retaking it from the terrorist group.Military officials said that the recapture of the base, made possible by the support of the Russian Air Force, marks one of the most important victories over IS in the past three years.Earlier on Saturday, Syrian state TV reported that the Teym oilfield was recaptured from Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorists. This eastern part of Syria is an oil-rich area.The breaking of the blockade happened earlier this week, after a series of successful operations carried out by the Syrian Army with the support of the Russian Air Force."With the help of Russian air power, the Syrian Air Force struck these places ahead of the arrival of Syrian government troops. This weakened ISIL's ability to attack and to call in reinforcements from Raqqa and Palmyra," the Syrian Army commander said.Meanwhile, humanitarian convoys started to arrive in Deir ez-Zor for the first time since the siege was broken. For the past three years, locals have depended on air drops from a military air field controlled by one of the Syrian Army's brigades."People in Deir ez-Zor were on the brink of starvation. We were desperate for food and water to reach the city, that was all we wanted. And thank God, help has now arrived," a local man told RT."We cannot describe how relieved we are. People were dying," another resident among those queuing for food, water, and other vital supplies said.According to the Russian military, efforts are also being made to facilitate the return of refugees to their homes, as infrastructure is being restored in the areas freed from the terrorists. Moscow is actively participating to help the Syrians speed up the work to restore hospitals, schools, bakeries, as well as water and energy supplies.In June, IS controlled around a quarter of the country. But in the past three months, the terrorist group has lost around half of those territories. At the moment, it still partly holds the Deir ez-Zor province, as well as territories near Hama and Homs in western Syria. </s> BEIRUT—The Syrian army broke Islamic State’s three-year siege of the eastern city of Deir Ezzour on Tuesday, state media said, laying the groundwork for a battle to retake the extremist group’s most important remaining stronghold and the lucrative oil fields it controls there.

The regime overcame fierce resistance by Islamic State to make the significant advance, opposition activists said. Syrian military units moved in from the western side of Deir Ezzour province and linked up with another brigade inside one of two... </s> The Syrian Army on Tuesday reached outside the eastern city of Deir al-Zor, one of the Islamic State group’s footholds, according to state media Sana news agency. The Syrian government forces have been backed by Russian air support to reclaim the city.

Nearly 93,000 civilians have been trapped in the city since 2015, according to BBC. The air strikes have destroyed several vehicles belonging to the Islamic State group.

The Army has advanced on the Brigade 137 base front on the western side of Deir Ezzor city, the news agency said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said that the security forces are currently 15 kilometres away from the city, AFP reported.

Deir al-Zor provincial governor Mohammed Ibrahim Samra said the government troops were trying to break the siege on the military airport as well, Reuters reported. “The coming days will also see the clearing of the city of Deir al-Zor [of the Islamic State group],” he added.

In August, the Bashar al-Assad’s Army had captured al-Sukhna from the terror outfit after heavy artillery firing and airstrikes by Russia. </s> According to the TV channel, terrorists have managed to approach the airbase, gaining control over the territory which had been earlier occupied by a Syrian army military unit.

The city of Deir ez-Zor, which is still held by Syrian government forces, has been under Daesh's siege since July 2014. The residents of Deir ez-Zor and the servicemen receive food only via planes delivering humanitarian aid.

On Saturday, the Syrian army repelled Daesh's attack south and north-west of the Deir ez-Zor’s military airfield and a number of districts in the western outskirts of the city.

Earlier in the day it was reported that the Syrian army eliminated a group of 18 foreign militants of Daesh terrorist group during fighting 45 kilometers southeast of the city of Deir ez-Zor. </s> The army and republican guard troops are breaking into the airbase area from the direction of the city's graveyard.

The offensive is being supported by aviation and artillery.

The operation to break the siege of Deir ez-Zor, which lies 140 km south east of Raqqa, began after four months of planning and preparation in the wake of the completion of the operation to liberate east Aleppo in January. This operation ended serious rebel activity in western Syria, allowing pro-government forces to turn their attention to the east across the country's desert region into Daesh heartlands.

On September 7, a source told Sputnik the US Air Force had evacuated Daesh field commanders from Deir ez-Zor. The US-led coalition denied the claims.

Russia has sent humanitarian aid to the city, but there has been none from the West. </s> “Syrian government troops, with the support of the Russian Air Force, achieved a major success, inflicting a devastating defeat on Daesh units in the area of the city of Deir ez Zor, which is bigger in scale than all previous victories over the past three years,” the statement read.

The Syrian military started an operation to retake the airbase on Friday, days after breaking the siege of Deir ez-Zor. A Sputnik correspondent reported earlier in the day that fierce fighting was ongoing near the base between Syrian troops and terrorists.

“Currently, the government troops under the command of Gen. Suheil Hassan together with the units, which had been under the siege at the Syrian military airbase, are widening the corridor between the airfield and Deir ez-Zor, carrying out successful military actions on the flanks,” the statement added.

The airbase is located two kilometers east of Deir ez-Zor. It has been blocked by the terrorists for more than three years. By the end of January, Daesh militants managed to cut off the communication routes between the city and the airbase. However, the Deir ez-Zor garrison held the defense despite regular Daesh attacks. </s> The Syrian army battled ISIL on the edges of Deir Ezzor Monday, seeking to break the siege of a government enclave and oust the extremists from a key stronghold.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that the Syrian army is advancing toward the besieged city of Deir Ezzor with the assistance of the Russian aviation.

The Syrian government forces have driven ISIL terrorists out of strategic positions on the Palmyra-Deir Ezzor highway, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

“Syrian army’s units conducting the offensive from the direction of as-Sukhnah [city in the Raqqa province], have driven ISIL terrorists out from positions they had controlled on the highway from Palmyra to Deir Ezzor.”

The ministry added that the Syrian Armed Force’s group conducting the operation to free Deir Ezzor has advanced 8 kilometers over the past 24 hours and captured 2 strategic heights in the region.

“Two tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles, over 10 off-road vehicles equipped with heavy arms have been destroyed as a result of the [Russian] airstrikes. Terrorists lost a total of 70 fighters who were killed or injured,” the Russian ministry said.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that the victory over ISIL terrorists in Deir Ezzor and the lifting of the city’s siege “will become the strategic loss of the international terrorist group in the Syrian Arab Republic.”

Provincial governor Mohamed Ibrahim Samra, quoted by state news agency SANA, said besieged residents were already celebrating as the army neared.

“Yesterday Deir Ezzor city saw celebrations and rejoicing among all segments of society ahead of the expected victory with the advance of the Syrian Arab Army to the outskirts of the besieged city,” he said.

Government forces have lifted a 3-years long ISIS siege from the city of Deir Ezzor, according to pro-government sources.

Last weekend, government forces, led by the SAA Tiger Forces and supported by the Russian Aerospace Forces, recaptured a large area including Bir Ghabaghib and al-Shula villages. On Monday, government troops reportedly reached the 137 Regiment area in western Deir Ezzor and met with Republican Guard units there.

If it’s confirmed, the next SAA goal will be to establish a full control over the Sukhna-Deir Ezzor highway and to liberate the entire city.

ISIS responded to the SAA advance with launching multiple attacks against government forces positions inside the city. Separately, the terrorist group deployed large reinforcements to al-Mayadeen preparing for a large attack in the Deir Ezzor area.

The only ISIS chance to counter the SAA advance is to bring off a successful battle using prepared fortifications inside and around Deir Ezzor and to conduct multiple raids against SAA supply lines using car bombs and technicals.

In other cases, ISIS days in Deir Ezzor city are numbered.

In eastern Hama, the SAA and its allies liberated the key town of Uqayribat and some nearby points after a series of intense clashes with ISIS terrorists. Now, government forces are working to clear the entire pocket.

The Syrian military has deployed at least one Russian TOS-1 heavy flamethrower system in order to strengthen the defense of Aleppo city.

The military is actively preparing for possible attacks of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda) and its allies from the so-called moderate opposition.

The SAA is now deeply involved in a large-scale anti-ISIS operation in Deir Ezzor province. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham may use this for launching an attack against government forces at some front in the province of Aleppo or Hama.

Several hours ago, reports came in that the strategic crossroad town of Ash-Shula was liberated, bringing vanguard SAA units advancing along the M20 highway to within 25 kilometers of the Panorama area.

Despite numerous reports that Ash-Shula was secured yesterday, this was actually not the case as the Tiger Forces troops who advanced on it decided to set up positions on the northern outskirts of the town and not enter into it.

Whilst it is currently unconfirmed which Syrian Army unit liberated Ash-Shula, with the possibilities being either the Tiger Forces of the 5th Assault Corps, it is most likely the case that it was the former (Tiger Forces) who in fact secured the town since they were the closest to it following yesterday’s advances.

ISIS RUN AWAY FROM 4 MORE VILLAGES IN EASTERN HAMA COUNTRYSIDE (SYRIA MAP)

On Monday, ISIS terrorists retreated from 4 more villages in the eastern Hama countryside under the pressure of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA). As a result of this, government troops Mas’oud, Tawbiyah, Marami and Um Ramal and secured these areas.

Last weekend, the SAA liberated the town of Uqayribat from ISIS and the terrorist group’s defense collapsed in eastern Hama.

Filed under: AngloZionist Empire, Axis of Resistance, Hama, Hezbollah, ISIL, Russia, Syrian Army, War on Syria | Tagged: Deir Ezzor | </s> Syrian troops are now at the gates of the Islamic State-besieged city of Deir ez-Zor, the governor of the province said, as the government forces continue to press forward, obliterating terrorist positions in the vicinity and on the outskirts of the city.

“The heroes of the army will arrive at Deir ez-Zor in 24-48 hours at the most,” the governor of Syria’s Deir ez-Zor province, Mohammed Ibrahim Samra, told Reuters, adding that the Syrian Army was only 18-20 kilometers (11-12 miles) away from the city.

Earlier, an elite unit of the Syrian Army, called the Tiger Forces, came within 18 kilometers (11 miles) of the besieged city after destroying IS (Islamic State, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorist positions on the Bishri mountain chain, Al-Masdar News reported.

Despite massive redeployment of fighters and military hardware by the Islamic State terrorists from other parts of Iraq and Syria to Deir ez-Zor, the Syrian Army, with the help of the Russian Air Force, has been advancing toward the city on several fronts.

The key Euphrates city of Deir ez-Zor has been under terrorist siege for two and a half years, after being cut off from government-held areas in May 2015 during the jihadists’ offensive on Palmyra. The surrounded city, alongside a neighboring military base and airfield, have since been supplied with food and ammunition via airdrops by Russian and Syrian transport planes and helicopters.

On Sunday, the Syrian Army attacked IS barricades on the southwestern outskirts of the city, Sana news agency reported, killing several terrorists and seizing their weapons and ammunition.

“We carried out at dawn a successful raid against one of ISIS terrorists’ barricades in the direction of the Water Resources area through crawling and infiltrating it and throwing several bombs when we almost approached the area, killing all the terrorists at the site,” one of the soldiers told Sana.

The Syrian Army units have also expanded control in al-Badia, “eliminating the last gatherings of the organization in Hreibsha area that is located in the southwest of Deir Ezzor province.” According to Sana news agency, many terrorists have fled as the army is also advancing east of al-Sukhneh toward Deir ez-Zor.

The Russian Defense Ministry has previously stated that breaking the blockade of Deir ez-Zor will mark the defeat of the last capable grouping of IS terrorists in Syria.

“ISIL militants are still attempting to stop the advancement of the Syrian troops by relocating to the Deir ez-Zor region armor, pick-up trucks with high-caliber machine guns mounted on them, weapons and ammunition. They are creating fortifications with positions for artillery and mortars,” the Russian Defense Ministry reported Saturday.

In response, the Russian forces in Syria intensified airstrikes on the jihadists, destroying their armored vehicles, tanks, artillery positions and supply depots.

 “Defeating ISIL in the Deir ez-Zor region and lifting the blockade of the city will signify a strategic defeat of the international terrorist group in Syria,” the ministry said.

On Saturday, the Russian Air Force also backed the swift actions of the army and its allies who have liberated the town of Akerbat – considered to be the last major terrorist stronghold in Hama province and central Syria.

Lifting the Deir ez-Zor blockade will “provide Syrian armed forces and their allies with a really stable foothold in this part of northeast Syria,” geopolitical analyst Patrick Henningsen told RT.

“Strategically, you can’t say enough about how important this effort is right now,” he added. “Having a strategic partner like Russia with a viable air force, being able to coordinate targeting intelligence, being able to mount counter-insurgency efforts on the ground with air support, is incredible.”

The UN’s special envoy for Syria, Steffan de Mistura, also expects all major IS positions in Syria to fall by the end of October.

“What we are seeing is in my opinion the beginning of the end of this war… what we need to make sure is that this becomes also the beginning of peace,” de Mistura said on Friday. “And that is where the challenge starts at this very moment.”
The Syrian Army breaks the nine month long siege of the Deir ez-Zor Airport by ISIL militants.