Key Facts
- Siege duration
- ~3 years and 2 months
- Siege broken
- 10 September 2017
- City fully recaptured
- 17 November 2017
- IS regional control
- Nearly all of Deir ez-Zor Governorate by July 2014
Strategic Narrative Overview
Syrian government forces, cut off from outside resupply by land, held their enclave under sustained IS pressure for almost three years and two months. The besieged garrison relied on air supply and withstood repeated IS assaults. The broader Syrian Civil War context, including Russian military intervention and shifting front lines, eventually enabled a relief operation in late 2017.
01 / The Origins
In April 2014, the Islamic State launched a large-scale offensive against Syrian rebel factions in Deir ez-Zor Governorate as part of its broader campaign to consolidate territorial control in eastern Syria. By July 2014, IS had defeated rebel groups and seized nearly the entire governorate, leaving Syrian government forces encircled in isolated pockets within the city of Deir ez-Zor.
03 / The Outcome
On 10 September 2017, Syrian Army forces broke the IS siege of Deir ez-Zor. After approximately nine additional weeks of urban combat, the Syrian Arab Army completed the recapture of IS-held districts of the city and surrounding areas by 17 November 2017, removing IS from its last significant urban stronghold in the governorate.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.