Deir ez-Zor is perhaps the least covered Syrian city in the media. After the start of the civil war, most of the city was largely controlled by the Free Syrian Army before it was taken over by Islamic State militants in early July. Subsequently, in order to encircle the city, the Republican Guard launched an attack on their positions. In early December, Islamic State militants attempted to make a push towards the air base in Deir ez-Zor, a vital support facility for the city.

Deir ez-Zor is perhaps best known for its oil fields; in the initial stages, most of the fighting around the city was a struggle for control of these strategically important objects. Since the oil fields supplied fuel to the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), the Republican Guard, the National Defense Forces (NDF) and the Suqur al-Sahara (Desert Falcons), their capture more than a year ago was a serious blow to all forces loyal to Assad, who had installed jeopardizing the supply of fuel, which is very necessary for organizing new offensives. Although Russian contract soldiers from the Slavonic Corps were initially sent to protect these fields, they were unable to even reach the city of Deir ez-Zor.

Dwindling fuel supplies have already caused tank trailers to become ubiquitous, as there simply isn't enough fuel for tanks to travel to their deployment areas on their own. The situation will not improve until the fields around Deir ez-Zor are brought under control by government forces.

There are several reasons explaining why there are still quite a large number of pro-government forces in the city of Deir ez-Zor. Firstly, at the beginning of 2014, the military contingent in Deir ez-Zor was reinforced by units of the 104th Brigade of the Republican Guard, led by Brigadier General Issam Zahreddin. Secondly, the airbase is still in the hands of the government. It is very important for supplying the city, in addition, fighters based on it provide significant air support to the troops fighting in and around the city. Third, the Damascus–Palmyra–Deir ez-Zor highway remains under government control. This highway is used to transport reinforcements and supplies to the city. And finally, the high ground above the city remains in the hands of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA). The SAA has deployed a large number of howitzers, field guns and multiple launch rocket systems there, which can fire at any targets in the city, and also cover the approaches to the air base.

The 104th Republican Guard Brigade was initially deployed to the city of Aleppo to launch new offensives in hopes of recapturing some of the surrendered positions in and around Aleppo, but was redeployed to Deir ez-Zor in early 2014 to reinforce the remnants of the SAA garrison. It is unknown whether the entire 104th Brigade or just part of it was transferred to Deir ez-Zor. Since the number of Republican Army fighters in Deir ez-Zor remains small, the latter seems more likely. The contingent currently deployed in the city of Deir ez-Zor is led by Issam Zahreddin from the Druze community and undoubtedly the most popular general in Syria. The reason for his popularity is that he personally leads his soldiers into battle, is always on the front line and shares the same privileges with the soldiers, even if it is, for example, boarding a BMP-1 moving to the front line.

The 104th is sometimes referred to as the 104th Airborne Brigade of the Republican Guard, and while a small portion of the soldiers in the brigade were actually trained in what might be called parachute warfare, another portion were trained in how to deploy from low-flying helicopters, it is believed that the 104th brigade is “airborne” only in name, while possessing all the characteristic features of a mechanized brigade. The fact that Syrian military doctrine does not include airborne operations lends credence to this theory.

However, the contingent deployed to Deir ez-Zor only managed to obtain a limited number of obsolete T-72 Ural, T-72M1, BMP-1 and a few ZSU-23 from other units. A pair of Falaq-2 launchers are also in its arsenal. The 104th Brigade, which operates T-72 tanks in Deir ez-Zor, is also the first to deploy this type of tank in the city, while the 137th Mechanized Brigade operates only T-55 tanks.

During the first fighting in Damascus, the 104th Brigade had several T-72 tanks equipped with the TURMS-T system (the most modern tanks in Syria), but, apparently, they were all transferred to another unit of the Republican Guard. While the brigade lacks a large number of modern tanks, it has received a large shipment of large-caliber Sayyad-2 and AK-74M sniper rifles, the most advanced assault rifles in Syria.

It is not surprising that a significant number of Druze fighters are attracted to serve in the 104th Brigade. Presumably, Issam Zahreddin's bodyguards are also largely Druze. The need for bodyguards is due to his great popularity in Syria, and more importantly, the $200,000 bounty on his head.

The 104th Brigade entered Deir ez-Zor with two important missions: securing the airbase by driving out Islamic State militants and encircling them in the city center, after which a new offensive could begin on the oil fields. The first objective after the arrival of the 104th was completed quite quickly. After the fall of the city of Tabqa, Zahreddin remarked: “The air base in Deir ez-Zor is not the Tabqa air base. We will bury the Islamic State here."

The ground forces previously operating in Deir ez-Zor were limited to the 137th Mechanized Brigade, which had already lost most of its combat power and tanks after two years of heavy fighting, but still retained control of several parts of the city and strategic heights . Together with the National Defense Forces (NDF), formed from civilians, reservists and a small part of active military personnel, they were busy defending the remaining parts of the city and the air base and did not have the strength to launch independent attack operations.

The strength of the 104th Brigade deployed to Deir ez-Zor was small enough that the fighters were forced to carefully balance their forces in order to repel any attacks from the flanks during their own offensive operations. So, while most of the 104th Brigade was thrown into the attack, part of it was distributed around the perimeter of the city to reinforce the SAA and NDF soldiers already deployed there. The battles that took place in the city center were very fierce. Violent local skirmishes occurred on both sides, and long battles were fought over tenements when neither side could actually advance. Islamic State militants also made extensive use of the tunnels, and some were eventually destroyed. The SAA and NDF could count on artillery support from the nearby hills, which subsequently destroyed most of the city. But sometimes this support backfired, because due to the close proximity of both sides, artillery fire sometimes led to losses in the SAA. Video of the fighting in the city of Deir ez-Zor can be seen here. www.facebook.com/syria.committees/posts/892835670745184

There was little press coverage of the offensive, which aimed to cut off the city center from territory held by the Islamic State on the opposite side of the river. The brigade was divided into two parts, which attacked from different directions.

As can be seen on the map, one part attacked from the direction of Al Filat, and the other part crossed the river to the island of Saqr. Unlike the fighting in the city, the battle for the island of Sacre was fought among dense thickets of trees, bushes and crops. Video of the fighting on this island is here.

During the fighting, Issam Zahreddin used tactics that the SAA and the NDF could only dream of, especially in the early stages of the Syrian civil war. The T-72 tanks moved forward, followed by the infantry, they were covered by other T-72 and ZSU-23 tanks, the infantry cleared the buildings, again received support from the T-72 tanks and ZSU-23 anti-aircraft self-propelled guns, and the process was repeated again and again. This tactic stands in stark contrast to the tactics of the early days of the Civil War, when tanks were used as battering rams to tear through the city, often falling victim to RPG fire as a result. One of the T-72M1 tanks deployed in Deir ez-Zor can be seen in the photo below. The flag on the right belongs to the Druze community.

The ultimate goal of the Al Filat-Saqr Island offensive was to encircle Islamic State militants in Deir ez-Zor itself, after which the 104th could launch a new offensive to reclaim the abandoned oil fields scattered around Deir ez-Zor. The battle for the city could be entrusted to the SAA, the NSO and a new paramilitary force called the National Security Service. Those who did not enlist in the FSA or NSO will be recruited into this service, and their training will take place on the basis of the 137th mechanized brigade.

The negative aspect of this offensive for the SAA, the NDF and the 104th Brigade was that it would expose even more weak flanks. Since these forces were already stretched thin, sooner or later the Islamic State would try to take advantage of this situation.

While some have speculated that the attack on the airbase is a direct consequence of the Kobani stalemate when another victory became necessary, this assumption could be questioned as the Kweres airbase would have been better suited for a quick victory. Kweres, once the main training base of the Syrian Air Force, was captured in December 2012 and is now little more than a runway littered with the remains of aircraft, with units only strong enough to defend the base.

The air base in Deir ez-Zor is home to the 8th squadron of the Syrian Air Force, which is armed with MiG-21 fighters. About a dozen retired MiG-21 fighters can be seen in the satellite image, which suggests that the 8th Squadron received several MiG-21 aircraft from other squadrons in Syria in order to remain in combat service. 8 Squadron also lost several aircraft to anti-tank missile teams, which destroyed at least two MiG-21s in fortified aircraft shelters. This forced the Syrian Air Force to hide most of its aircraft behind sandy shelters.

Mi-8/17, Mi-25 helicopters and even Mig-23BN fighters are also regularly deployed in the city of Deir ez-Zor. In addition, the 104th Brigade can call on the 819th Squadron, which recently received upgraded SU-24M2s capable of conducting precision attacks. These planes are often spotted in the skies over the city of Deir ez-Zor.

Deir ez-Zor initially deployed four 2K12 Cube surface-to-air missile launchers to protect the airbase and city. While one was destroyed by the Free Syrian Army as it retreated to its positions, and another was disabled by the Islamic State (one of the captured broken launchers can be seen in the photo below), two are still controlled by Syrian forces. One of these two installations, unfortunately, is only partially functional.

The Damascus-Palmyra-Deir ez-Zor highway, along which the 104th Brigade was deployed to the city of Deir ez-Zor, also remains under government control; it turned out to be vital for the city and was called the “second road of life.” Supply transport convoys use this road to supply supplies to the SAA, NDF and 104th Brigade, as it provides a cheaper alternative to the Syrian Air Force air bridge used by An-26 and Il-76 transports.

Holding this road, the strategic air base and the surrounding heights is very important for the FSA, NDF and 104th Brigade, which are stationed in and around the city of Deir ez-Zor. Previously captured positions may be abandoned in order to free up forces to defend the air base in Deir ez-Zor. Since the SAA, NDF and 104th Brigade control the surrounding hills, they can call in air and artillery support, which may be sufficient to guarantee their presence in the city of Deir ez-Zor.

But since the extent of the Islamic State offensive remains unknown, it is not yet possible to judge whether the militants will launch a large-scale offensive aimed at driving Assad's troops out of Deir ez-Zor once and for all, or whether they are simply testing the defenses of the FSA, NDF and 104th Brigade around the air base, hoping to seize positions in the neighboring areas of Jaffra and al-Maria for direct fire on the airstrip, making it impossible for the Syrian Air Force to use it. It is also possible that this attack is a diversionary maneuver before a future offensive, aimed at capturing some of the positions lost in past months and, as a result, preventing a possible encirclement.

Materials used:
www.spioenkop.blogspot.ru
www.ru.wikipedia.org

22.01.2016

ISIS, a terrorist organization banned in Russia and all normal countries, has recently been under strong pressure from various groups of troops attacking it.

General situation on the eve of the battle for Deir ez-Zor.

In Iraq, it is the Shia militia and military units of the Iraqi army that are fighting the battle for the large and important city of Ramadi. On the other hand, units formed with the support of the United States, Kurdish armed forces and other groups that have joined them, including the FSA (Syrian opposition) - SDF, are advancing. On the third side, the SAA is advancing (including Shiite militants with the support of Iran), with the support of Russia and Iran. And the fourth attacking group: the Syrian opposition, which operates along the Syrian-Turkish border.

The most effective group is the SDF, which occupied a strategically important point, the Tishrin dam on the Euphrates River, and thereby were able to cross the Euphrates.

The most ineffective, Assad’s army is the SAA, of course, its ineffectiveness is not due to the weakness of the group itself, but to the fact that the main sponsors of this regime, Russia and Iran, decided to concentrate all their forces on the destruction of the Syrian opposition, which, unfortunately, continues to defend itself in an organized manner on all fronts . The only major success was Aleppo, basically Latakia. In this light, ISIS is secondary. Therefore, apart from the sluggish movement of Assad’s army towards Palmyra and the guts of Kuweiris, nothing more can be attributed.

On the eve of the battle for Deir ez-Zor.

ISIS concentrated significant forces for the offensive, during the attack ISIS used more than 20 suicide bombers, cars filled with explosives and armored vehicles. According to some information, ISIS has also transferred parts of its forces from Iraq, which I personally doubt (in Iraq, ISIS is seeing heavy fighting with the Peshmerga and the Iraqi Army).

The forces of the Assad regime (SAA army and militia) began to feel more confident since Russia entered the war on the side of the Assad regime, as the ability to support the isolated regime enclave of Deir ez-Zor increased.

Weather:

Apparently, another factor that worked in favor of ISIS was the factor of weather conditions, which limited the possibility of bombing the area in which the events took place.

Associated factor:

In addition to general activity on all fronts of Assad’s war with the Syrian opposition, during this period there was a successful offensive by the Syrian opposition in Latakia. And this area is strategically important both for the regime and for the regime’s sponsors. The need for air cover also limited the capabilities of the Assad regime army.

ISIS advance on Deir ez-Zor.

The offensive was massive, even river landings were used, and they attacked in all directions. Russian aviation provided limited support to the garrison.

As a result of the offensive, the Assad regime troops ceded to ISIS the Ayash military warehouse (one of Assad's largest military warehouses (established during the confrontation with the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq)). ISIS has captured the Ayash checkpoint. And also the positions of the missile division, the heights with the radio tower and the location of the Saiko military base. And he came close to the ISIS military airfield. That’s where the offensive stopped.

ISIS has taken a significant step towards capturing the enclave, but the forces of the Assad regime are actively defending themselves and are supported by Russian aviation. At the moment there is calm on the front.

I think it’s only a matter of time before ISIS makes another attempt to storm the base.

Also. The scale of the events is indicated by photographs of ISIS, where they marked their trophies:

The main events in Syria are now taking place in the Deir ez-Zor area, where government troops have broken through the encirclement around the besieged city. There has been noticeable progress in the southeast of Homs and southeast of Damascus, where the Syrian army has seriously pushed back the enemy. There are virtually no changes in Raqqa. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) control 65% of the city. Meanwhile, the Syrian Armed Forces and its allies liberated about 50% of the country’s territory, where over 75% of its population lives. You can find out more detailed information about the events taking place in Syria from our daily report.

• Deir ez-Zor Province:

Yesterday, units of the 17th Panzer Division and Brigade " Tiger Forces"broke through the defense" Islamic State"from the side of the base of the 137th artillery brigade, connecting with its defenders. After this, government troops began to expand this area in order to resume supplies and be able to conduct convoys.

Video: Syrian tanks break through the blockade of Deir ez-Zor

Russian aviation, navy and groups took part in this operation Special Operations Forces of the Russian Ministry of Defense. Frigate "Admiral Essen" attacked with cruise missiles " Kalibr-NK» in the fortified area of ​​terrorists in the vicinity of the village. Ash-Shula, while Russian Aerospace Forces cleared the base ISIS and provided support to the advancing government forces. ().

Video: The frigate "Admiral Essen" launches a missile attack on ISIS militants near Deir ez-Zor

In turn, the special forces soldiers provided guidance on targets and acted as artillery fire spotters at militant strongholds.

After the completion of the first phase of the operation, it was possible to find out that cruise missiles and aircraft destroyed a fortified area of ​​jihadists near the village of Ash-Shula, which was defended by a gang formed from natives of Russia and the CIS republics. ().

Video: Footage of the destruction of an ISIS fortified area near the village. Ash-Shula

Meanwhile the stormtroopers Su-25M The Russian Aerospace Forces "frolic" on the enemy's communications, and Ka-52 helicopters followed ahead of the battle formations of government forces, clearing the way for them.

Video: Breaking the blockade of Deir ez-Zor with the support of the Russian Aerospace Forces

Yesterday afternoon the command Sun SAR the second stage of the operation began, which included lifting the siege from the Deir ez-Zor airbase. The units that participated in breaking through the encirclement attacked positions ISIS in the area of ​​the Ayash storage facility, located south of the 137th brigade base. This step has increased the security zone around this military facility and expanded the breakthrough area. ()

The next task of the Syrian army will be to take control of the Tardeh Mountains, which will allow access to the airbase from the western side and the Panorama area. Thus, the Syrian Armed Forces will be able to restore traffic on the Homs-Deir ez-Zor highway, which was interrupted 5 years ago.

• Homs Province:

Southeastern Homs

Simultaneously with the breaking of the blockade of Deir ez-Zor, government troops launched an offensive in the southeast of Homs. Units of the 1st Division attacked ISIS positions in the Al-Dulayat area.

With the support of Iraqi forces " Hashd al-Shaabi", battalions " Hezbollah" and brigades " Livaa Fatimiyoun“The Syrian military broke through the enemy’s defenses on a wide section of the front, liberating about 17 km of territory. Thus, pro-government forces reached the Al-Saraim canyon and reached the border of the Deir ez-Zor province.

• Damascus Province:

Southeastern Damascus

The Syrian army continued its offensive along the border with Jordan. Units of the 5th Army Corps, allied with the Iraqi Hashd al-Shaabi forces, attacked garrisons 171 and 172 yesterday morning.

The Free Syrian Army units defending these strong points were forced to retreat after a short clash. As a result, pro-government forces came almost close to the At-Tanf border crossing, near which the United States built a military base.

• Raqqa Province:

The fierce battle for the liberation of Raqqa lasts three months. In the battles for this city, both sides suffered huge losses. " Syrian Democratic Forces“claim to have killed over 1,200 jihadists, while ISIS claims to have killed over 1,000 SDF fighters.

Meanwhile, the Islamic State's propaganda service released a video demonstrating urban warfare tactics against the Kurds in Raqqa. Terrorists particularly emphasize the successful use of attack drones, anti-aircraft guns, snipers, MLRS and remote-controlled machine guns.

The video also shows horrific civilian casualties caused by international coalition airstrikes, as well as the bodies of killed SDF fighters.

Video: ISIS urban warfare tactics in Raqqa (video will take a few seconds to load)

• Hama Province:

Government troops continue to clear the outskirts of the city of Salamiyah from small IS gangs. During this operation, security forces, while combing the village. Tahmaz, a large warehouse of weapons and ammunition was discovered.

The secret storage facility contained hundreds of missiles, machine guns, and dozens of heavy machine guns, including those made in the United States. In addition, computers, military space communications devices, other equipment and components for this equipment were found.

In turn, in the city of Akerbat, the army discovered a warehouse with 47 missiles, which the militants used to fire at the city of Salamiya. Also, Syrian special forces eliminated an IS bandit group of three terrorists who intended to ambush the communications of the Syrian Armed Forces. A working missile launcher was confiscated from the killed militants ATGM TOW.

Video: Military situation in Syria – 09/05/2017 (Russian translation)

Review of the combat map and operational summary of Syria for yesterday.

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Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor It has been in a state of almost complete blockade for four years now. Land links to a hard-fought enclave under siege by militants"Islamic State"*(a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation) is carried out exclusively by air.

However, the successful offensive of the Syrian and allied forces, with the support of the Russian Aerospace Forces, on IS positions in the provinces neighboring Deir ez-Zor, puts on the agenda the issue of a speedy unblockade of the city and the liberation of the province of the same name, which before the war was a major center of Syrian oil production.

The beginning of the war: the loss of large Syrian oil

Before the start of the civil war in Syria, the province of Deir ez-Zor was the center of oil production and oil refining in the country. Its strategic importance was determined by several factors: several large oil fields were located around Deir ez-Zor, there was a large oil refinery in the province, and a trunk pipeline ran along the Euphrates from south to north, supplying Syrian oil, as well as fuel from the Persian Gulf countries , neighboring Turkey.

With the outbreak of the civil war, almost all of this infrastructure first fell into the hands of disparate terrorist groups, and then, in 2014, came under the control of the Islamic State, which was created at the same time. The latter established ironclad control over the oil industry and at the same time locked Deir ez-Zor in a tight blockade.

The militants failed to take the city itself either then or subsequently. This was influenced by two factors. Firstly, the city was home to a large Syrian air base and a powerful garrison of government troops. Secondly, in Deir ez-Zor there were strong religious and ethnic communities, primarily Christian and Armenian, which did not at all support the ideas of radical Islam characteristic of the ideological platform of the Islamic State.

As a result, the Islamic State limited itself to a tight blockade and constant siege of Deir ez-Zor, ensuring control over oil fields and oil revenues. It cannot be said, however, that before the war the state of Syrian oil production was unambiguously “rosy”: Syria’s fields were already largely depleted, and most of the country’s oil industry was in a state of stagnation. Syria's oil production peaked back in 2008, when all the country's fields produced 346,000 barrels of oil per day.

Of course, the seizure of deposits by militants did not at all contribute to the growth of production - a significant part of the equipment was put out of action, and many valuable specialists chose to escape from the power of terrorists, taking with them important documentation. However, the province of Deir ez-Zor and the adjacent parts of the provinces of Homs, Raqqa and Hasakah have become the basis of the Islamic State's oil business.

Under IS control: how important is oil for terrorists?

The phenomenon of a “terrorist state,” the first—and, I would like to believe, the last—example of which was the Islamic State group, has yet to be studied by historians, military officers, and sociologists. Until now, the “internal kitchen” of the creation of the “Islamic State” is largely unclear - the militants’ total control over both the population that has entered the territory of the Islamic State and the flow of confidential information that reveals the specifics of the economy of the quasi-state entity is reflected.

One thing is clear now - for three whole years (2014-17) a powerful terrorist group existed on the territory of Syria and Iraq, which was able to build, albeit a predatory cave, but a workable economic model, sufficient to finance a regular army and independent of external influence. And the oil of Deir ez-Zor turned out to be one of the key “building blocks” of the economy of such a terrorist quasi-state.

The world received most of the information about the oil economy of the Islamic State as a result of the successful elimination of one of the leaders of the Islamic State, Abu Sayyaf, who was killed on May 16, 2015 by American special forces. Within the structure of the Islamic State, Abu Sayyaf served as coordinator of activities for the extraction and trade of all natural and industrial resources from territories controlled by the Islamic State. In his personal files, reports were found on the trade of oil, grain, electricity, phosphates and other liquid goods that IS requisitioned from the population or industrial enterprises under its control.

Along with the body of the liquidated Abu Sayyaf, his personal computer and, more importantly, his wife Umm Sayyaf, who was also his personal assistant, were seized. Subsequently, the trade data of the “IS minister” and the testimony of his wife formed the basis for publications that assessed the resource potential of the Islamic State’s economy.

Oddly enough, oil was by no means the only resource at IS’s disposal. Thus, the Islamic State received about $200 million a year from the sale of grain from the agricultural northern and western provinces of Syria. However, “black gold” was, of course, the “backbone” of the terrorist economy.

According to the most conservative estimates, the Islamic State received about $900 million annually from oil trading in 2015. This corresponded to a production level of 80,000 barrels of oil per day - not much, by the standards of large oil-producing countries, lower than the production of Syria itself before the war - but extremely high for the “state of terrorists”.

Based on chronological data from Abu Sayyaf, the dynamics of the production and sale of oil by IS was built, which showed the obvious: oil production under the “control” of terrorists is slowly degrading, and primarily due to the lack of key specialists, loss of documentation, a catastrophic decline in the technological culture of production and complete absence of even the minimum level of repair and maintenance work on equipment. In fact, the entire oil industry in Syria and Iraq was derailed in order to generate short-term profits from quick oil sales.

The oil fields near Deir ez-Zor itself, according to these estimates, turned out to be in the most preserved condition. Thus, only two fields: al-Tanak, which, according to estimates in 2016, produced 16,000 barrels of oil per day, and al-Omar, which produced 11,000 barrels per day, provided about 60% of all oil revenues of the Islamic State. Overall, Syrian oil fields provided 70% of IS's oil revenues, while neighboring Iraq accounted for only 30%.

Syria: new alignment

The current state of oil production in Deir ez-Zor province under Islamic State control is unknown. Apparently, the degradation of the industry continued in 2017 at a rate no less than what happened in previous years. It is possible that the already completely destroyed infrastructure will have to be liberated from terrorists. Even in the most optimistic scenario, Syria can count on no more than 30-40 thousand barrels of oil per day, which the province’s fields will be able to produce in the initial period.

Of course, this figure looks low even against the background of the pre-war production level, and from the peak of Syrian oil production in 2008 it is only 10-15%. But, on the other hand, this kind of increase to the budget of a war-exhausted country (and with the correct and legal organization of oil production and trade, we can talk about the amount of 400-450 million dollars a year at the first stage) will not be superfluous.

Further restoration of oil production and oil refining may even become the basis for the revival of the Syrian economy. After all, the oil of Deir ez-Zor still lies under the sands of the Syrian Desert, and the atrocities of terrorists have only destroyed and depleted what is on the surface - and must be restored as soon as possible.

However, “big politics” may interfere with such optimistic plans. Today, Deir ez-Zor is not only a key point for eliminating the predatory terrorist economy of the Islamic State, but also a place where geopolitical interests intersect. In fact, before our eyes, Syria is being divided into future zones of influence, which, in the most optimistic scenario, will be further formalized in the form of certain self-governing “federal territories”, each of which will pursue its own economic and even political agenda, largely focusing on external centers of power.

We see the end of this kind of scenario today quite routinely in Iraqi Kurdistan, which, in addition to the acquired economic independence from Baghdad, will soon raise the question of the broadest political autonomy, much more similar to independence than to some kind of “federal structure” of the country.

The situation with Deir ez-Zor is complicated by the fact that in the area of ​​this strategic point in eastern Syria the interests of three external centers of power intersect - the United States, Iran and the monarchies of the Persian Gulf, for each of which both the territory itself and its “closing” territory are critically important. , transit potential. None of these players’ scenarios takes into account the fate of Syria itself. For the United States, Deir ez-Zor is a “castle” for Iranian expansion, for Iran it is part of the “Shiite bridge” to Lebanon, and for the monarchies of the Persian Gulf it is a transport corridor to Turkey and the Mediterranean.

Therefore, in the interests of Syria itself, it is imperative to maintain control over Deir ez-Zor and the speedy liberation of the province by troops controlled by Damascus. Otherwise, the fate of Syria will be decided in Tehran, Washington or Riyadh, but not in the Syrian capital.

* The organization is prohibited on the territory of the Russian Federation.

+ Original taken from psiont V

Original taken from gorlanovig V The civil war in Idlib province (Syria) is flaring up more and more

5,000 pro-Turkish militants will enter Idlib

Violent clashes have broken out between various Islamist factions in Idlib province.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a jihadist alliance that includes al-Qaeda's Syrian franchise Jabhat al-Nusra, attacked the positions and headquarters of Ahrar al-Sham, an Islamist movement considered more “moderate.”

Clashes have continued since Tuesday and Ahrar al-Sham blames HTS for everything.

On Wednesday, fighting spread to Saraqib in the east, Dana and Sarmada in the northeast and Bab al-Hawa near the Turkish border. Clashes are also reported in Idlib itself.

Social networks report that 5 thousand Turkish-trained Syrian Free Army fighters will be transferred to Idlib to support Ahrar al-Sham. In any case, we are most likely talking about the beginning of a civil war between jihadist factions in Idlib.

+ Original taken from yurasumy V Syria: Operation Big Cauldron for ISIS

The past week in Syria has been very dynamic. The Syrian army advanced and was very successful. Moreover, the latest operation of the “tigers” leads to the conclusion that Bashar al-Assad has much more forces today than was thought a few weeks ago. Where did they come from?

+ Original taken from awas1952 V There is still a lot of progress to be made - but without excessive hindrance

In the coming two weeks, the Russian military is preparing missile launches off the coast of Syria. This follows from the international notice to aviation personnel (NOTAM) and navigation warning to mariners. The upcoming missile firings will take place on July 14, 19, 21, 26 and 28.

Based on this information, it can be assumed that the offensive actions of government forces in Syria are moving to the next active phase.

New strike with "Calibers" - what is its meaning?

Until now, the area of ​​the Mediterranean Sea specified in the NOTAM warning has been used for launches of Kalibr cruise missiles from the Russian frigates Admiral Essen, Admiral Grigorovich and from the submarine Krasnodar. The last time such a strike was carried out was on June 23, 2017 - then, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, “Caliber” destroyed control points and weapons depots of Islamist militants in the Syrian province of Hama.

The use of all types of available and permitted weapons by the Russian Aerospace Forces has already become a “calling card” of the Syrian conflict. Sometimes, in the case of attacks on isolated groups and formations of militants, the use of high-tech weapons, such as Caliber or X-101 missiles, may seem disproportionate, but it is through the use of high-precision and at the same time quite powerful weapons that it is possible to reduce casualties among the civilian population, targeting the jihadists precisely in retaliation.

The result of this approach is obvious - just compare the consequences of the assaults on Syrian Aleppo and Iraqi Mosul. The first of the cities, in the assault of which the Russian Aerospace Forces, Syrian and allied armed forces took part, has already been liberated from militants and is, albeit damaged, but in a fairly safe condition. The assault on Iraqi Mosul, despite the constant assurances of the Iraqi and American media, has still not come to an end.

About a hundred militants hold a tiny but important quarter of Mosul, located in the strategic center of the Old City. During this time, most of Mosul was reduced to ruins by the US Air Force and Iraqi artillery. According to some estimates, about 50,000 civilians in Mosul became victims of the siege and assault, and about 1 million more residents of the city were forced refugees. This is the result of two siege operations, which began almost simultaneously and took place under similar conditions.

New Navy missile launches: Russia takes Syrian party to endgamePr Scr youtube.com / Press service of the Russian Ministry of Defense

Syrian endgame

The busy schedule of Kalibr launches shows that ground operations of the Syrian army and its allies, with close support from the Russian Aerospace Forces, are entering an active phase. Today, the main loser in the battle for Syria and Iraq is the “Islamic State”* (a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation). Significant territories in eastern Syria and western Iraq still remain under the control of ISIS, but in general the position of ISIS looks bleak. The pseudo-state conglomerate of Islamist radicals no longer has the strength to defend the territory captured in 2014-15, and they are forced to roll back to their “territory of survival”, located in the area of ​​​​the eastern Syrian city of Abu Kemal.

Today, territories shaded black on maps that are formally under the control of IS no longer have strategic value. The war in Syria has moved to its eastern, desert part, in which the critical point is control over communications, and desert dunes and scorched wastelands do not have much significance: in their deserted expanses, any large unit of militants becomes an excellent target for the same “Caliber” or X -101.

The last serious stronghold holding back the advance of Bashar al-Assad’s army towards the city of Deir ez-Zor, which spent three years under a heroic siege, is the large oasis of Al-Sukhna, which is located in rugged hilly terrain and closes the direct road from Palmyra to the east. An alternative to the straightforward plan for releasing the blockade of Deir ez-Zor is a flank attack on Al-Sukhna, which could be launched from the north, from the area of ​​​​the recently liberated city of Resafa, located in the south of Raqqa province.

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Deir ez-Zor. Yandex map.

Allows you to: change the scale; measure distances; switch display modes - diagram, satellite view, hybrid. The Yandex maps mechanism is used, it contains: districts, street names, house numbers and other objects of cities and large villages, allows you to perform search by address(square, avenue, street + house number, etc.), for example: “Lenin St. 3”, “Deir ez-Zor hotels”, etc.

If you don't find something, try the section Google satellite map: Deir ez-Zor or a vector map from OpenStreetMap: Deir ez-Zor.

Link to the object you selected on the map can be sent by e-mail, icq, sms or posted on the website. For example, to show a meeting place, delivery address, location of a store, cinema, train station, etc.: combine the object with the marker in the center of the map, copy the link on the left above the map and send it to the recipient - according to the marker in the center, he will determine the location you specified .

Deir ez-Zor - online map with satellite view: streets, houses, areas and other objects.

To change the scale, use the mouse scroll wheel, the “+ -” slider on the left, or the “Zoom in” button in the upper left corner of the map; to view a satellite view or a people's map, select the appropriate menu item in the upper right corner; to measure the distance, click the ruler at the bottom right and plot the points on the map.