Assad Forces battles IS for Palmyra

Syrian government forces have advanced into Palmyra on several fronts backed by air strikes and artillery, a monitoring group has said.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the fighting was the most intense yet seen in the army’s campaign to recapture the city from so-called Islamic State (IS).

IS seized the UNESCO World Heritage site and adjoining modern town in May.

It destroyed archaeological sites, drawing global outrage. Two 2,000-year-old temples, an arch and funerary towers were left in ruins.

Government forces had taken neighbourhoods in the western and northern parts of the city, the observatory said.
Syrian state media said earlier the army had taken full control of the al-Amiriya district on Palmyra’s northern edge.