The army later defeated the IS in two key strongholds in the countryside of Deir al-Zour Province, namely the cities of al-Mayadeen and al-Bukamal along the Iraqi border.

To reach Deir al-Zour, the Syrian government forces with the backing of pro-government fighters, and the Lebanese group of Hezbollah launched a wide-scale military offensive in the Syrian Desert in the remote eastern countryside of Homs Province in central Syria.

The campaign started in May and initially focused on eliminating rebel threats along the highway from the capital Damascus to the border with Iraq.

Its first goal was to capture both the highway and the al-Tanf border crossing, thus securing the Damascus countryside from a potential rebel attack.

Later, multiple other fronts were opened throughout the desert, in addition to the anti-IS operation "Grand Dawn" which aimed to reopen the Damascus-Palmyra highway and prepare for an offensive toward Deir al-Zour.

Along the way in the desert toward Deir al-Zour, the army recaptured Palmyra and other key IS strongholds.

During the offensive in the desert, key gas and oil plants, including the Hayyan gas fields, the largest production facility of gas feeding electricity stations in central and southern Syria, were recaptured from the IS.

The series of operations stripped the IS of its political and economic strongholds, so that the eradication of its remnants in the countryside of Deir al-Zour is just a matter of time.

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