Syrian army encircles Islamic State in central Syria advance

Syria's army and its allies have encircled an Islamic State (IS) pocket in central Syria after a series of advances in the desert region, state media, a Hezbollah military media unit and a war monitor said on Friday.President Bashar al-Assad's military has advanced against Islamic State along two prongs towards Deir al-Zor province this year, leaving a large jihadist salient stretching back west between them.Its forces have now cut off part of that salient with a pincer movement, enclosing a lar