Syria army breaks Islamic State siege on Deir ez-ZorSeptember 5, 2017 - 15:59 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Syrian government forces advanced against Islamic State on Tuesday, September 5 to reach troops surrounded for years by the jihadists in a government-held enclave in the eastern city of Deir ez-Zor, pro-Damascus media outlets and a monitoring group reported, according to Reuters. “The Syrian army and its allies break the siege on Deir ez-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 ez-Zor. The army and its allies had made lightning advances in recent days and pushed through Islamic State lines to within kilometers of Deir ez-Zor. Islamic State had since 2014 besieged the government-held enclave, where some 93,000 civilians live and an army garrison is stationed. Deir ez-Zor is located southeast of Islamic State’s former stronghold Raqqa, most of which has been captured in a separate offensive by U.S.-backed Syrian militias. Islamic State fighters are believed to have fled to areas around Deir ez-Zor as the group loses areas of Raqqa. Both cities lie in oil-rich areas on the Euphrates river. Photo. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi/File Photo Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham). Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills |