The Syrian army has taken over several districts in the ancient oasis city of Palmyra, with Russian support. The assault is the biggest yet to capture the city, parts of which were destroyed by IS fighters last year.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the offensive was the biggest yet to recapture the city. Observatory head Rami Abdulrahman said Syrian soldiers and allied militia had taken control over one-third of Palmyra, mainly in the west and north. Syrian media and Arab television channels also confirmed the news.
Russian troops were part of the operation although the country had withdrawn some of its forces from Syria. Russian news agencies said their jets had made 40 sorties around the ancient city in the last 24 hours. It was reported that 158 "Islamic State" (IS) targets were hit and more than 100 militants were killed.
The strike took place during an international ceasefire between Assad's forces and opposing militia. IS and the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front are not part of the truce, which has helped aid agencies deliver humanitarian help to towns and villages under siege.
Palmyra's recapture marked the biggest defeat yet for IS in the Middle Eastern country and could help forces gain access to eastern Syria. IS controls most of the territory in the Euphrates valley, including the provinces of Deir al-Zor and Raqqa.
Palmyra: Destruction of an oasis of cultural history
Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is considered one of the most beautiful ruined cities in the Middle East. Now the "Islamic State" has seized the area and started destroying these ancient structures.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Scholz
Ancient temple destroyed
This part of the World Heritage site in the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria no longer exists: "Islamic State" militants have blown up the 2,000-year-old temple of Baal Shamin. The inner area of the temple and the columns collapsed through the explosion. The rest of the ancient city remains strongly at risk.
Image: by-sa-Longbow4u
Ruins in a desert oasis
The ruins of Palmyra lie right in the middle of the Syrian desert. The once prosperous metropolis was surrounded by palms - hence its name - and for centuries was a stop for caravans traveling to the Silk Road. The settlement was a center of wealth and trade. But, gradually, the golden age faded, and sand blew over the city. The ruins were later excavated, and given World Heritage status in 1980.
Image: Fotolia/bbbar
Temple of Baal
In the 1st century AD, the Palmyrenes built a grand Roman-style temple for the deity Baal. It formed the center of religious life in Palmyra, which joined the Roman Empire under Emperor Tiberius some time after 14 AD. It is scarred with bullet holes - stark reminders of the ongoing Syrian civil war.
Image: picture-alliance/blickwinkel/F. Neukirchen
Avenue of treasures
Created in the 2nd century, the Great Colonnade stretches on for more than a kilometer (0.6 miles). Spices, perfumes, precious stones and other treasures once passed down this magnificent colonnaded boulevard. The avenue's entrance is marked by Hadrian's Arch, built in honor of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. It's a fine example of the Greco-Roman style, extremely popular at the time.
Image: Louai Beshara/AFP/Getty Images
Roman monument
The Tetrapylon of Palmyra was built on a crossroads. The four groups of slender pillars, each supporting an alcove, were made of red granite brought in from the quarries of Aswan. Each one used to house statues. Today, almost all the columns are replicas. Only one is an original.
Image: Fotolia/waj
Oriental drama
Palmyra bore many characteristics of a Greco-Roman city. It had a portico, thermal baths and an amphitheater. Many oriental dramas were performed on this stage. Unfortunately, the plays, written in Aramaic, haven't survived. In addition to being a theater, the arena was also used for battles between gladiators and animals.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Marczok
Forum of high society
Some 200 statues of important individuals once stood here, taking up honored positions in the porticoes of the agora, or main square. In the agora's southwestern corner the remains of a building where the city council likely held its meetings can be seen. The council was made up of representatives from influential merchant families, responsible for shaping the fortunes of the desert city.
Image: picture-alliance/Robert Harding World Imagery/C. Rennie
Ornate burial
There are a number of burial grounds just outside the city gates. Large families built tall towers housing ornate sarcophagi and tombs big enough for several generations. There are also many underground gravesites decorated with rich architectural flourishes and frescoes that hint at the daily life and wealth of that period.
Image: Imago/A. Schmidhuber
Impending destruction?
In 300 AD, Palmyra became a military base, and came under the power of a string of different rulers. The golden age faded, and the city's splendor was covered up by the desert sand. The city's ruins survived the civil war raging in the country since 2011, but now, the ancient city is under threat from "Islamic State" militants, and UNESCO fears it could face a tragic fate.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Scholz
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Palmyra to be reconstructed
The militants seized Palmyra last summer, destroying the temples of Bel and Baal Shamin in the ancient city, considered nearly two millennia old. The United Nations described the act as a war crime.
On Saturday, Syria's head of antiquities, Mamoun Abdelkarim, said his government would try and restore the temples, including an arch and funeral towers that the extremists destroyed in the world heritage site.
"We will rebuild them with the stones that remain, and with the remaining columns," Abdelkarim told Reuters in Damascus, adding that his team would "bring life back to Palmyra."
News of the Syrian army's advancement comes a day after US officials said their forces had killed IS' number two leader, Abdul-Rahman al-Qaduli. Al-Qaduli was believed to be the group's "finance minister" and close to IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
