Fighters from the so-called 'Islamic State' group have captured new areas near the eastern Syrian city of Deir el-Zour, according to opposition activists.
The militants captured areas just north of the city today, including an army base and an arms depot in the village of Ayash, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Another opposition activist, Omar Abu Leila, said that 'Islamic State' fighters captured Ayash, which is just north of another town that extremists captured over the weekend.
IS controls most of Deir el-Zour province and much of the capital with the same name, while the government controls several districts in the northern part of the city and the adjacent military airport.
Syria's government said on Sunday that extremists killed 300 people in an "appalling massacre" in the city of Deir el-Zour over the weekend.