Russian cruise missiles POUND ISIS target in Deir ez-Zor

Originally appeared on TheDuran

The Russian Navy has launched multiple Kalibr cruise missiles at ISIS positions surrounding Deir ez-Zor city. The strikes originated from the frigate Admiral Essen.

The Russian missile strikes come as the elite Tiger Forces of the Syrian Arab Army captured the strategically important Thardeh Mountain from ISIS after a battle which was resoundingly won by Syrian troops.

Syrian Arab Army (SAA) contingents, including Tiger Forces are rapidly approaching Deir ez-Zor city from both the west and south. Some divisions of the SAA are now less than 2500 meters away from the city. In spite of ISIS transporting some of its most experienced terrorist fighters to Deir ez-Zor from Iraq and other parts of Syria, including the self-proclaimed ISIS capital of Raqqa, their defences are rapidly breaking down in the face of a Syrian onslaught from the land which is being augmented by heavy bombing from the Russian Aerospace Forces who have helped clear Syria’s path to the besieged city.

Speaking during the final day of the BRICS summit in Xiamen, China, Russian President Vladimir Putin described the advances of Syrian forces with Russian air and missile support in the following way,

“The situation (in Syria) is changing dramatically, and that is an obvious fact. I hope that our partners will follow through with their effort in Raqqa. And Deir ez-Zor is a strategic military stronghold for the entire radical opposition – radical in the worst sense of the word, the ISIS-affiliated opposition.”

In respect of Raqqa, the Russian President is referring to US forces and their Kurdish led SDF proxies who are currently moving at a much slower pace vis-a-vis Syrian forces in Deir ez-Zor.

Putin continued,

“As soon as the operation in Deir ez-Zor is finished, the terrorists will suffer a very serious defeat and the government forces will get an obvious advantage. Then the next step would be to foster the ceasefire and the de-escalation zones and to fully establish the political process.”

Syria is rapidly approaching a total battlefield victory against remaining terrorists in the country. Having vanquished most patches of al-Qaeda and the FSA in the country, crumbling ISIS defensive positions are all that remains between Damascus and a much awaited victory over multiple terrorist groups.