|
DAMASCUS, Sept. 3-- The end of the Syrian war seems around the corner with the near collapse of the Islamic State (IS) group and the change of the international stance toward President Bashar al-Assad, experts say. IS NEAR DEFEAT IN SYRIA The Islamic State's fighters in Syria are reeling and buckling under the pressure of the massive assaults on their key positions in Syria. The Syrian army and its allied Iranian-backed fighters have taken large swathes of territory in the Syrian desert in central Syria, following months-long battles with the IS militants. Dubbed the "Great Dawn," the military operation that has been dragging on since May 2017, has enabled the army to reach border points with Jordan and Iraq through the Syrian desert region in the eastern countryside of Homs province in central Syria. The desert operation has also stripped IS of key hub areas, mainly the city of al-Sukhnah, which was the key for the army to reach the administrative border of the IS-sieged Deir al-Zour province. On Friday, the army announced reaching the border of Deir al-Zour, from the direction of al-Sukhnah. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Sunday the army has become so close to breaking the IS siege in the capital city of Deir al-Zour, which has been in place since 2017. Some reports said hours are left until the siege is broken. Deir al-Zour is the second, but the most important bastion for the IS militants, due to its proximity to IS-held areas in Iraq. Its first declared de-facto capital in Syria is the northern province of Raqqa, which is also under attack. | 
