Militants open major assault on besieged city

BEIRUT — Islamic State militants began their biggest assault in a year on government-held areas of the contested city of Deir el-Zour on Saturday, attacking from several fronts and triggering intense fighting in the eastern region bordering Iraq, the Syrian government and opposition activists said.

Syrian state TV said three people were killed and nine were wounded in Islamic State rocket attacks on several neighborhoods of the city.

Fighting broke out between Syrian troops and the extremist group both inside the city and around the vicinity of a nearby military airport controlled by government forces. The militants had launched their multipronged attack starting from the area of Baghaliyeh near the northwestern tip of the city.

Deir el-Zour carries strategic significance for Islamic State as it links the group’s Iraq territory to its de facto capital of Raqqa in Syria.

Loud explosions that shook the city were reported. Activists said Syrian warplanes were taking part in the battles.

The Deir Ezzor 24 news network reported ongoing clashes near Deir el-Zour military airport and other fronts in the city and said Syrian warplanes targeted Baghaliyeh and Ayash areas and the vicinity of an army base known as Brigade 137 west of the city.

The extremist group, which controls most of Deir el-Zour province, has kept the provincial capital under siege since 2014. Government forces have withstood the encirclement thanks to airdropped humanitarian assistance and weapons and ammunition flown into the airport. Remaining residents have reported malnourishment and starvation amid severe shortages.

A cease-fire brokered by Russia and Turkey went into effect on Dec. 30, but it excludes extremist groups such as the Islamic State group.