President Donald Trump officially recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and countless US flags were publicly burned by Arabs and Muslims as their answer. It could be considered as a deliberate provocation to show how they are tempered and to increase domestic support for him. Russia has been wary for many years of the growing power of radicalised Islam and it's dream to dominate the world. Putin is fully aware that Islamists (extreme fundamentalists) could lead the country to near anarchy if the Russian state appears unequal to the task of fighting them successfully.
Deir ez-Zor – the largest city in eastern Syria and a stronghold of moderate Muslims
The city and its rural surroundings is a fertile and once prosperous farming area. Since the discovery of light crude petroleum in the Syrian desert it has become a centre for the country's petroleum extraction industry. The local inhabitants, since centuries being moderate, progressive Moslems, were open for foreign guests and their big city was a minor centre for tourism. A memorial church, commemorating the Armenian genocide was erected in the city in 1991.
As the followers of the 'God's State' came, they linked arms with Government forces
They don't support radical views, the effects of which would be felt by the industry and trade the most.
Since the end of 2013, the so-called Pro-Western rebel forces surrounded Deir ez-Zor and captured half of the city, also almost the entire province. At the same time more and more ISIL troops invaded Syria from the east. In April 2014 ISIL emerged as a big military Power and launched a large-scale offensive, gaining control of most of the Deir ez-Zor Governorate.
It became obvious that the ISIL could fill almost any vacuum resulting from a defeat of Assad Government forces
The cause for that was simple. According to the Centre on Religion and Geopolitics, a thinktank, run by the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, about 60 percent of fighters in rebel factions in Syria identified with a ideology very similar to that of the terror group.
With training, logistical support and the secret supply of arms for the so-called moderate rebel forces, the U.S. government and the Gulf States fuelled the rise of ISIL.
In Eastern Syria – only a coalition of Arab socialists and Sufis proved able to confront the terror groups, both religiously and politically
The siege of the city by ISIL Forces began in July 2014. The General Major of the Republican Guard Issam Jad'aan Zahreddine took the leadership of the surrounded Syrian forces during the over three-year-long siege of Deir ez-Zor. While there, he became known for frequent visiting the front line and helping in many ways to the ordinary soldiers. He was killed in action during the last days of battle to liberate the unconquered town.
His funeral became a huge patriotic manifestation.
The Russian General Asapov, Zahreddine's Chief Military Advisor, also died during the last phase of the battle.
The Russian military assistance proved crucial for the Victory at the defence of the besieged town
Both in 2016 and 2017 emergency take-offs of the Russian military jets were made every time after the ISIL broke through the defence perimeter. The military intervention of Russia proved a big support for the encircled area, which until then could only be supplied by sporadic helicopter landings and the dropping of air cargo.
Repeated air strikes against the enemy were carried out. The strikes on a foe whose crookedness became almost boundless.
With repeated massacres of women and children, the invaders tried to break the defenders psychologically and morally. However, this only made their resistance much stronger!
The formidable superiority of Putin's Air Force
The Russian-Syrian – strategic and tactical air support ability was improved dramatically and eventually influenced the course of the Decisive Battle. This was made possible thanks to the detailed combination of each air mission with fire and movement of the allied land forces.
On August 27th, 2017, the Syrian Arab Army launched a general offensive against the ISIL murderers
On 10 September 2017, the siege was absolutely broken by the Army and Russian Air Force support.
After another two months of unbelievable fierce fighting, the Government Forces fully recaptured the ISIL-held parts of Deir ez-Zor and its local terrain.
The terrorist state was annihilated west of the Euphrates by early December. Now, Putin's Victory in Syria teaches the Western Leaders one important lesson; Russia is now, in every aspect, the Third Rome; don't underestimate it!
