BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army has deployed to the town of Tabqa near Raqqa, Syrian state media reported on Monday, restoring the state’s foothold in an area that is home to a major hydroelectric dam.

Backed by the United States, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) battled for weeks to take Tabqa and the nearby dam from Islamic State in 2017.

The deployment followed an agreement between the Syrian government and the Kurdish-led forces for the Syrian army to deploy into the area.