ISIS fire during a a battle against the Syrian government forces, at al-Sinaa neighborhoods, in Deir el-Zour, east of Syria.

:: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday congratulated government troops who broke a years-long ISIS group siege on the government enclave of Deir al-Zour city, his office said.

“Today you stood side-by-side with your comrades who came to your rescue and fought the hardest battles to break the siege on the city,” Assad said in a call with the commanders of troops who had been besieged in a base in Deir al-Zour.

Syrian forces and allied fighters arrived on Tuesday at the Brigade 137 base on the western edge of Deir al-Zour, effectively ending a siege of more than two years on part of the city.