DAMASCUS, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Breaking the Islamic State (IS) siege in the eastern city of Deir al-Zour will take hours, as the army is rapidly advancing against IS, a well-informed source told Xinhua on Sunday night.
The army has entered the administrative border of Deir al-Zour province in eastern Syria, rapidly approaching to break the IS siege on the capital city of Deir al-Zour, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
With the army approaching, the IS militants are raining down the city with mortar shells, amid a festive mode among the civilians, who are feverishly waiting for the army's arrival, the source said.
Meanwhile, a military source told Xinhua that the army is progressing, capturing key areas and becoming 10 km from reaching the Regiment 137 in western Deir al-Zour, where Syrian soldiers are besieged.
Deir al-Zour city has been besieged since 2015 by IS, which controls large swathes in that oil-rich area, near the Iraqi border.
The army operation to reach Deir al-Zour has been dragging on since May, during which the military forces and allied Iranian-backed fighters drove IS of key areas in the desert region in central Syria.
