ISTANBUL

The US-backed terrorist organization PKK/YPG has launched an offensive to drive Bashar al-Assad regime forces and Iran-backed groups out of seven villages in Syria's Deir-ez Zor province east of the Euphrates river.

According to local sources, PKK/YPG terrorists supported by the US launched a three-pronged early morning offensive on Tuesday against Assad regime forces and Iran-backed groups in the villages of Murrat, Hashsham, Mazlum, Tabiyye, Husseiniyye, Al-Salihiyah, and Hatla in Deir-ez-Zor, where clashes are still ongoing.

Situation in Deir-ez Zor

Iranian-backed groups have a strong presence in the region, from Deir-ez Zor's city center to the Al-Bukamal district near the Syrian-Iraqi border.

Almost all of Deir-ez Zor's territory east of the Euphrates River is occupied by the US-backed terrorist organization PKK/YPG, while the Assad regime and Iran-backed groups control the provincial capital and other rural areas.

*Writing by Efe Ozkan