Syrian regime break IS siege on Deir az-Zor airport

Syrian regime forces have broken the Islamic State group's three-year siege on Deir az-Zor airport, state media announced on Saturday.

Pro-regime fighters reached the military airport on the outskirts of the city after another IS siege on a government-controlled districts of Deir az-Zor was broken earlier this week.

Deir az-Zor airport was reached after "regime forces advanced from the cemetery south-west of the city linked up with the forces holding the air base", SANA state news agency reported.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that the siege on the military airport had been broken.

"By breaking the siege on the military airport regime forces have been able to link up all the neighbourhoods they hold in western parts of Deir az-Zor city," the monitoring group said.

It comes as Syrian regime forces captured an oil field from IS in Deir az-Zor province on Saturday. 

Aid has started to reach the formerly besieged regime-controlled districts of Deir az-Zor city, which managed to hold of IS attacks for three years but suffered immensely.

IS siezed Deir az-Zor and other parts of eastern Syria from rebel and regime forces in 2014.

Separate offensives from a Kurdish-led force and Syrian regime militias - backed by Russian airpower - have seen the jihadis' territories shrink.

US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces announced the start of an offensive on Deir az-Zor province from the north on Saturday, with the Kurdish-Arab force looking to carve out territories from IS.