News staff of Iran’s Press TV attacked by Daesh in eastern Syria

The Daesh Takfiri group has attacked a group of journalists working for Iran's Press TV network as the militants have been suffering crushing defeats at the hands of Syrian forces in the east of the country.

Reports on Wednesday showed that the news staffs were covering an ongoing operation to fully liberate the flashpoint city of Dayr al-Zawr from Daesh when they were attacked by the militants.

Three Syrian army soldiers were wounded and an SNG truck belonging to the journalists was destroyed in the attack, which took place in the city of Kabajev, located 30 kilometers southwest of Dayr al-Zawr.

Syrian army forces and allied fighters managed to break a nearly three-year-long siege on Dayr al-Zawr on Tuesday. The Syrian forces had been holed up in the city’s airport and some central districts since January 2015, when Daesh took control of the area and laid a siege on the city.

Dayr al-Zawr is one of Daesh's last remaining bastions in the territories straddling the border between Syria and Iraq.

Reports on Wednesday said fierce fighting was underway around a garrison in Dayr al-Zawr, while heavy fighting was ongoing around the military base of the 137th Brigade on the outskirts of the city.

Daesh militants tried to launch a counterattack on Syrian forces overnight but many were killed near where Syria’s allied fighters had linked up with government forces inside the city.

Military sources said pro-government forces were trying to secure and expand their corridor to comrades in Dayr al-Zawr, while a broader operation was underway to expel Daesh militants from almost half of the city they still control.

"The next step is to liberate the city," said a commander of the pro-government alliance, adding that an offensive would be launched against the militants along the Euphrates valley.

PressTV-Syrian forces break Daesh siege on Dayr al-Zawr

Syrian government forces and their allies have reached the eastern city of Dayr al-Zawr, breaching the nearly three-year Daesh siege on pro-government areas.

In the drive to oust Daesh from Dayr al-Zawr, Syrian forces enjoy support from the Russian military and the Lebanese resistance movement of Hezbollah.

The commander of the Russian forces in Syria said Wednesday that more than 2,600 airstrikes had been carried out in the past two weeks to support the operation against Daesh.

Colonel General Sergei Surovikin said an estimated 1,200 militants were killed in the airstrikes, while an unspecified number of armored vehicles, ammunition depots and artillery belonging to the Takfiri militants were destroyed in the operation.

Daesh has suffered major defeats in Iraq and Syria over the past months. The Takfiri group has been purged from the two major cities of Mosul and Tal Afar in northern Iraq.

Daesh is expected to make its last stand in the towns of Mayadin and Bukamal downstream of Dayr al-Zawr near the Iraqi border.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk