AP, Beirut :
Islamic State militants seized the ancient Syrian town of Palmyra on Sunday from government troops despite a wave of Russian airstrikes, a major advance after a year of setbacks in Syria and neighboring Iraq.
Backed by Russian air power, the Syrian government had recaptured Palmyra, home to towering 2,000-year-old ruins, to great fanfare in March. But the militants have been steadily advancing in recent days while the government has waged a major offensive against rebels in the northern city of Aleppo.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Palmyra Coordination group said IS militants fought their way into the town in a multi-pronged assault, forcing government forces to retreat to the south.
Russia had earlier claimed to have repelled an IS attack on Palmyra, saying it had launched 64 airstrikes overnight that killed 300 militants. But hours later, the activists said IS had seized a castle just outside the town that overlooks its famed Roman-era ruins.
Palmyra was a major tourist attraction before the civil war broke out in 2011. IS seized the town last year and held it for 10 months. During that time it dynamited a number of temples and destroyed other artifacts.
Over the last year, IS has suffered a string of defeats in both Syria and Iraq, losing several towns and cities it had captured in 2014. The group is currently locked in a fierce battle with U.S.-backed Iraqi forces in the northern city of Mosul.
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter arrived in Baghdad earlier Sunday on an unannounced visit to assess the progress of the Mosul battle. He was to meet with American commanders and Iraqi leaders.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights expressed concern over the safety of civilians inside the city because many of them are pro-government supporters.
The war monitor and rebels familiar with military operations in the area said that with the exception of southern areas most of the city was now in the hands of the militants who had waged an attack on several fronts.
The Syrian army said it had repelled an attack by the militants near major grains silos 10 kms (6 miles) east of the city and inflicted heavy losses on them. It made no mention of the assault on the city, however.
The Syrian army earlier said it had sent reinforcements to Palmyra to help defend it. Some troops were being diverted there from Aleppo, easing pressure on rebels there who were facing a last push by the army to oust them from the city, a rebel from the countryside outside Aleppo said.
Islamic State’s retaking of the city comes as President Bashar al Assad’s government, supported by Russia and Iranian-backed militias, are on the verge of a major victory against rebels in Aleppo city.
The city had been recaptured from the militants last March, in what was hailed as a major victory for the government and the biggest reversal for Islamic State in Syria since Russia’s intervention, which turned the tide of the conflict in Assad’s favor.
A statement by Islamic State’s news agency Amaq said the group had taken the strategic Jabal al Tar and Jabal Antara mountains that overlook the city in some of the heaviest fighting since the group lost the city.
Amaq said on Saturday a Syrian war plane had been downed in the Jazal oil field area northwest of Palmyra.
The militants were pushing towards the T4 airbase, one of Syria’s major military bases, near Palmyra city and which Russian forces have been using to support the Syrian army.
Islamic State militants seized the ancient Syrian town of Palmyra on Sunday from government troops despite a wave of Russian airstrikes, a major advance after a year of setbacks in Syria and neighboring Iraq.
Backed by Russian air power, the Syrian government had recaptured Palmyra, home to towering 2,000-year-old ruins, to great fanfare in March. But the militants have been steadily advancing in recent days while the government has waged a major offensive against rebels in the northern city of Aleppo.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Palmyra Coordination group said IS militants fought their way into the town in a multi-pronged assault, forcing government forces to retreat to the south.
Russia had earlier claimed to have repelled an IS attack on Palmyra, saying it had launched 64 airstrikes overnight that killed 300 militants. But hours later, the activists said IS had seized a castle just outside the town that overlooks its famed Roman-era ruins.
Palmyra was a major tourist attraction before the civil war broke out in 2011. IS seized the town last year and held it for 10 months. During that time it dynamited a number of temples and destroyed other artifacts.
Over the last year, IS has suffered a string of defeats in both Syria and Iraq, losing several towns and cities it had captured in 2014. The group is currently locked in a fierce battle with U.S.-backed Iraqi forces in the northern city of Mosul.
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter arrived in Baghdad earlier Sunday on an unannounced visit to assess the progress of the Mosul battle. He was to meet with American commanders and Iraqi leaders.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights expressed concern over the safety of civilians inside the city because many of them are pro-government supporters.
The war monitor and rebels familiar with military operations in the area said that with the exception of southern areas most of the city was now in the hands of the militants who had waged an attack on several fronts.
The Syrian army said it had repelled an attack by the militants near major grains silos 10 kms (6 miles) east of the city and inflicted heavy losses on them. It made no mention of the assault on the city, however.
The Syrian army earlier said it had sent reinforcements to Palmyra to help defend it. Some troops were being diverted there from Aleppo, easing pressure on rebels there who were facing a last push by the army to oust them from the city, a rebel from the countryside outside Aleppo said.
Islamic State’s retaking of the city comes as President Bashar al Assad’s government, supported by Russia and Iranian-backed militias, are on the verge of a major victory against rebels in Aleppo city.
The city had been recaptured from the militants last March, in what was hailed as a major victory for the government and the biggest reversal for Islamic State in Syria since Russia’s intervention, which turned the tide of the conflict in Assad’s favor.
A statement by Islamic State’s news agency Amaq said the group had taken the strategic Jabal al Tar and Jabal Antara mountains that overlook the city in some of the heaviest fighting since the group lost the city.
Amaq said on Saturday a Syrian war plane had been downed in the Jazal oil field area northwest of Palmyra.
The militants were pushing towards the T4 airbase, one of Syria’s major military bases, near Palmyra city and which Russian forces have been using to support the Syrian army.
