Advancement of the Islamic State Group in Deir ez-Zor, Syria

According to reports from Syria, the group known as the Islamic State, which is engaged in battle with government forces in the city of Deir ez-Zor, has managed to break part of the army's defensive line and has also surrounded an airbase. On the other hand, it has been reported that U.S. air support for anti-ISIS rebels around Raqqa has been 'increasing.' Clashes between government forces and members of the extremist group ISIS in Deir ez-Zor are not new, but the attacks by the Islamists have recently intensified. This eastern Syrian city, near Iraq's Anbar province, remains under the control of the Syrian central government, despite the surrounding areas being controlled by the Islamic State. Attacks on Deir ez-Zor have increased while the self-proclaimed Islamic State is facing a severe offensive from the Iraqi army, its allies, and the U.S.-led coalition in Anbar province. Some reports indicate that ISIS reinforcements around Deir ez-Zor have come from individuals crossing the Iraqi border. The World Food Program, which has been sending aid to nearly 250,000 residents of Deir ez-Zor in the surrounding area, has announced that aid deliveries have currently been halted. The area designated for aid distribution has come under the control of ISIS members. Militants have also besieged an army airbase. Nevertheless, a news source in the city told The Guardian that ISIS forces do not have sufficient manpower and weapons to fully control the city, and their intention is more to capture residential areas and hide among civilians to reduce the intensity of attacks against them. The recent advance of the group known as the Islamic State in Deir ez-Zor occurs while this group in Mosul, Iraq, continues to diminish and has lost control of major areas around Raqqa, its center of presence in Syria. In the U.S., USA Today quoted a senior military official stating that air support for anti-ISIS militants around Raqqa has increased. General Carlton Everhart, commander of U.S. air mobility, told the newspaper that his forces have conducted a total of 16 air support missions in the region over the past year, six of which occurred in December - last month. General Everhart stated, 'Our increased precision support helps ground forces to launch offensives against ISIS and retake Raqqa.' According to USA Today, the U.S.-led coalition supports nearly 45,000 Syrian militants engaged with the Islamic State through air support. A team of U.S. special forces is also providing training and advice to some of them.