Syrian army, allies close in on Islamic State in Deir al-Zor

BEIRUT – Syrian troops seized a suburb of the city of Deir al-Zor in eastern Syria on Sunday, tightening the noose around Islamic State militants, a military source said.

Oil-rich Deir al-Zor province, which borders Iraq, is Islamic State's last major foothold in Syria.

The Syrian army pushed into Deir al-Zor city this month, with Russian air power and Iran-backed militias, breaking an Islamic State siege of an enclave that had lasted three years.