The Syrian armed forces broke the siege of an airbase in the city of Deir ez-Zor, a correspondent reported on Saturday, saying that the clashes continue.

The elite units of the Syrian army supported by artillery and aviation recaptured a number of hills near Deir ez-Zor and reached the airbase located east of the city.

The troops destroyed Daesh's (a terrorist group banned in Russia) equipment and defensive constructions during the offensive, a correspondent added. The fights are continuing along the perimeter of the airbase.

The Syrian military started an operation to retake the airbase on Friday, having captured a strategic hill in the vicinity of the facility. It was reported that the troops broke into the area from the direction of the city's graveyard.