Syrian army, allies break three-year siege in Deir al-Zor city

BEIRUT - 5 Sep 2017: The Syrian army linked up on Tuesday with troops that Islamic State had encircled for years in the eastern city of Deir al-Zor, breaking the siege, state media said.

A military media unit run by Hezbollah, a key Damascus ally, said the advancing forces reached an army garrison at the edge of the city.

The army and allied forces have made a swift lunge through militant lines in recent days to relieve an enclave in the Euphrates city, where Islamic State has besieged the garrison and some 93,000 civilians since 2014.