TODAY’S MESOP – News Roundup: Thursday, June 12 ISIS poised to take Deir e-Zor

The Syrian army shelled the opposition-held neighborhood in Deir e-Zor city on Thursday, as the three-front battle between Jabhat a-Nusra-led rebels, the Syrian regime and the Islamic State of Iraq and a-Sham (ISIS) for the eastern, oil-rich province drags into its third month.

Pro-opposition news site Zaman al-Wasl cited rebel fears the group would be empowered inside Syria amidst the Islamic State in Iraq and a-Sham’s (ISIS) Tuesday capture of the Iraqi city of Mosul.

“There is fear Deir e-Zor could be the second [Syrian] city to fall under the control of the Islamic State in Iraq and a-Sham, which is gathering its ranks in the city,” the newspaper reported, while the opposition Syrian National Coalition recognized “ISIS is strengthening its grip on eastern Syria.”

Earlier this week, opposition activists launched a campaign titled “Deir e-Zor Needs Your Help,” citing a “crippling siege” on the city by ISIS and regime forces.