REUTERS/Rodi Said

By John Davison and Rodi Said

BEIRUT/AL SHADADI, Syria (Reuters) - U.S.-backed militias and the Syrian army advanced in separate offensives against Islamic State in eastern Syria on Saturday, piling pressure on shrinking territory the group still holds in oil-rich areas near the Iraqi border.
Russian airstrikes on several ferries attempting to cross the Euphrates near Deir ez-Zor kill at least 34 civilians, including 9 children, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.