Rebel forces seize Deir ez‑Zor, Assad regime in retreat
Rebels from HTS, the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham led by Abu Muhammad al-Jawlani, and the Syrian National Army are occupying more territories. Forces loyal to Assad's regime are retreating. The oil fields in Deir ez-Zor are strategic areas for the country's economy.
Groups opposed to President Bashar al-Assad's regime forces are taking over more cities in Syria. The collapse of the regime and the leader's escape to Russia have allowed them to take control without resistance in many places.
According to the Syrian newspaper Al-Watan, the latest city captured by the rebel army is Deir ez-Zor in the northeastern part of the country.
The new authorities, who took over the capital of Syria, Damascus, on Sunday, assured all ethnic and religious groups in Syria of the safety of their property and places of worship. Al-Jazeera highlights that this assurance concerns Christians, Druze, and Kurds.
A video from Deir ez-Zor was published on social media, showing columns of armed individuals approaching the administrative center of Deir ez-Zor province without encountering resistance.
"After liberating the eastern and western outskirts of Deir ez-Zor, and the retreat of regime forces and Iranian militants, we announce that the city of Deir ez-Zor and its airport are completely liberated," stated Lieutenant Colonel Hassan Abdel Ghani, as quoted by the Tass agency.
Deir ez-Zor is also a strategic area due to its rich oil deposits, making it a key region for the Syrian energy industry. A significant portion of Syrian oil production came from here before the devastating conflict began in 2011.
A large part of the infrastructure has been damaged. In 2014, as a result of airstrikes on areas then controlled by the Islamic State, 12 refineries in the Deir ez-Zor province were destroyed.
As reported by money.pl, the oil fields became a valuable prize for various armed groups, including the so-called Islamic State Daesh. Some production was used for their needs, while others were sold on the black market to finance the organization. At the peak of their activity, Islamists controlled most of the oil fields in eastern Syria, producing between 34,000 and 40,000 barrels per day.
