Syrian government forces ‘enter IS-held Palmyra’

Syrian government forces have entered the Islamic State-held city of Palmyra, according to state television. IS has occupied the city since May last year, demolishing several of its ancient structures and carrying out a series of beheadings in the iconic amphitheatre. The fighting is reportedly concentrated near the archaeological site on the southwestern edge of the town.

We say to those gunmen, we are advancing to Palmyra, and to what’s beyond Palmyra, and God willing to Raqqa, the centre of the Daesh gangs.

A Syrian soldier

One Syrian soldier told the national TV station that IS would be “crushed under the feet of the Syrian Arab Army”. An official said that forces are less than a mile from the heart of the city, and roads are being cleared of mines and explosives. In advance of the latest assault, ISIS used loudspeakers to tell the 15,000 civilians still living in Palmyra to leave the city. Islamic State has blown up ancient temples and tombs since capturing Palmyra in what the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO has called a war crime.

Palmyra