Deir Zzor
Deir Ezzor Airport (in English :Deir ez-Zor Airport) (local language: Deir Ezzor Airport) is a public and military airport with the IATA code DEZ, which has an asphalt runway and the length of the runway is 3000 meters. This airport is located in the city of Deir Ezzor , Syria , and is located at an altitude of 213 meters above sea level.
Deir ez-Zor Airport was established by the British during World War II as LG-416. Before the war in Syria, airlines like Jazeera Airways and Syrian Air flew to destinations such as Damascus, Aleppo, Bahrain and Kuwait. On October 15, 2012, heavy artillery and missiles strikes, originating in the airport, hit the city. On 24 November 2012, rebels were surrounding the airport.
In 2014, the Islamic State terrorist group besieged the city of Deir ez-Zor and took control of its eastern districts. During the night of 6 December 2014, ISIL took control over the missile battalion to the northeast of the airport and stormed the airbase itself, but failed to seize it.
On 5 September 2017, units of Syria’s Republican Guard and special forces broke through the blockade of the city in the western flank and joined forces with defenders of the 137th artillery regiment’s base. Syrian special operations Tiger Forces and 17th Division troops started an offensive to eventually capture Thardeh Mountains (under the control of ISIL fighters since CJTF-OIR forces had conducted the September 2016 Deir ez-Zor air raid upon then-besieged Syrian Army soldiers) and lift ISIL's siege of the airport.
Following an air strike of the Russian Aerospace Force, the Syrian government forces had broken Islamic State’s siege of the airfield in southeast Deir ez-Zor, Russia’s Defense Ministry said. "Following a massive air strike by the Russian Aerospace Force, in the evening of September 9, the Syrian government forces broke down the stiff resistance of ISIL militants [the former name of Islamic State] in the area located southeast of Deir ez-Zor airfield and pierced the terrorists’ siege," the ministry said in a statement.
According to the defense ministry, the government troops led by General Suheil al-Hassan and besieged defenders of the Syrian military garrison’s air base are fighting on the flanks, expanding the corridor between the city of Deir ez-Zor and the airfield. As a result, more than 900 tonnes of humanitarian cargoes were delivered to the city that had lived through a three-year long siege.
On September 7, the government forces took a strategic bridge over the Euphrates to the northeast of Deir ez-Zor. They expanded control significantly over the areas adjoining the city. Later on, the troops continued the operations to unblock the military airdrome. The lifting of the siege of Deir ez-Zor City, the administrative center of the eastern governorate enables the government forces to launch an operation to remove terrorists from the Euphrates Valley along the border with Iraq. Liberation of the governorate, which is rich in oil and gas deposits, will have significance for the Syrian economy and resumption of trade with Iraq.
On 9 September 2017, the Syrian SANA news agency reported that Syrian forces had broken the siege at the airport. Russia's Defense Ministry said the lifting of the siege had followed "a massive airstrike by Russian Aerospace Forces".
Islamic State units had been defeated overwhelmingly near Deir ez-Zor by the Syrian government forces supported by Russian air strikes and this victory "has surpassed the previous three years’ victories by its significance and scale." SANA news agency reported that Syrian government forces had broken the ISIS siege of Deir ez-Zor Airport and the city districts of Hrabesh and Tahtouh.
| Deir Zzor |
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Overview of the Deir Zzor Air Base, 01 October 1987 |
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Close up of the Deir Zzor Air Base, 01 October 1987 |
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