Cutting to the chase- It's clear the PKK/YPG thugs backed by the US need Deir ez Zor for the creation of Israel 2.0 aka Kurdistan. They need the resources to be viable. They need to DENY Syria access to their own resources in order to leave what will remain of Syria vulnerable , weak & dependent on the unlawfully, immorally created new territory. Water control and denial is also an issue - Israel 2.0 has been being created in plain site. Employing the ruse of the 'fight against ISIS' as the smoke cover to ethnically cleanse and displace the resident populace. Th need of the oil rich Syrian territory explains quite clearly why this operation by the US backed terrorist Kurd army is called Jazeera Storm. Jazeera being the "familiar name for north-east Syria" which has been annexed and is controlled by the Kurds.. Hence it's a Kurdish storm come down to wreak havoc on Syria and her army.Energy Voice interesting map at link
The duelling battles for Deir el-Zour highlight the importance of the oil-rich eastern province, which has become the latest focus of the international war against IS, raising concerns of an eventual clash between the two sides.
The US-trained Deir el-Zour Military Council said it was calling its operation Jazeera Storm, after the familiar name for north-east Syria.
The Military Council is a part of the predominantly-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which enjoys broad US military support.
The troops’ arrival to Deir el-Zour city brings Syrian forces and their allies a step closer to controlling the oil-rich eastern province and its capital bordering Iraq, a major boost for Tehran’s growing influence in the area.
The region has some of Syria’s largest oil fields, whose revenue is vital to the state’s dried coffers.
Syria’s military command announced on Saturday they had captured the province’s Taym oil field from IS militants on Saturday.
Washington has been determined to block the formation of an “Iranian corridor” – of Shiite-controlled land stretching from Tehran to Damascus – and for months has been eyeing the area south-east of Raqqa near the Iraqi border.
US-backed Syrian rebels had been gathering in Tanf in south-eastern Syria to march towards Deir el-Zour, but their plans were disrupted in June when Syrian troops reached the border with Iraq, obstructing their path.
The only way left for the SDF to enter the eastern province appears to be from the north-eastern province of Hassakeh, where Syrian activists say the US-backed fighters have been gathering and stepping up preparations for an attack.SDF officials say the timing of Operation Jazeera Storm is not related to government forces reaching Deir el-Zour earlier this week, and was planned months in advance.
“Deir el-Zour is a main connection point and a very important geographic area,” said Syrian Kurdish official Nawaf Khalil, who is in Germany but frequently visits northern Syria.(PKK)
One I'd saved yesterday: SDF 'in race' with Syrian army for oil-rich Deir Az ZorI am hoping Syria can reclaim it's territory and resources. Including their water. The income from these oil feeds is desperately needed for the rebuilding of Syria- The Syrian people who have suffered under this destabilization for so many years now deserve no less then full control of their revenue generating resource!Latest news has the US backed Kurds within approximately ten miles of SAA