Syrian state TV said three people were killed and nine were wounded in IS rocket attacks on several neighborhoods of the city. Deir el-Zour carries strategic significance for IS as it links the group’s Iraq territory to its de facto capital of Raqqa in Syria. The extremist group, which controls most of Deir el-Zour province, has kept the provincial capital under siege since 2014. IS has tried to capture the government-held neighborhoods of Deir el-Zour and the city’s suburbs over the past months without much success. It excludes extremist groups such as the Islamic State group.

Source: Washington Post January 14, 2017 10:44 UTC