The Russian Defense Ministry has released footage of airstrikes targeting Islamic State forces in the Deir ez-Zor governorate. The bombings are being conducted to help Syrian government forces break through a blockade of the provincial capital.
Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) controls the rural areas of the governorate while the city remains under the control of government troops. The Syrian Army, backed by the Russian Air Force, is ramping up pressure on the jihadists to push them back from the city and establish a safe land route after years of blockade.