Deadly IS assault on east Syria city leaves 30 dead

The Islamic State group on Saturday launched one of its fiercest assaults yet on the besieged Syrian city of Deir Ezzor, leaving more than 30 regime fighters and jihadists dead. The brutal attack -- on a day that saw many outbreaks of violence across Syria -- came as the political opposition said it "supported" upcoming peace talks in the Kazakh capital Astana. Unleashing a wave of suicide attacks, rockets, and tunnel bombs, IS killed at least 12 government forces and two civilians in Deir Ezzor, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.