Syrian regime aircraft Friday carried out at least 25 strikes on jihadist-controlled Palmyra, the country’s famed ancient city, with eight civilians among the dead, a monitoring group said.
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The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a pro-opposition monitor based in the United Kingdom with a network of activists on the ground, confirmed the executions on Saturday, raising the death toll on the government side to 71 loyalists, according to SOHR head Rami Abdul Rahman.
Palmyra, home to vast Roman-era ruins, was seized by Islamic State insurgents from government forces in May.
IS captured Palymra, which includes a Unesco World Heritage Site, back in May and have since destroyed several historic artifacts within the city, including two main temples and three funerary towers.
On Thursday, Syrian jets had carried out at least 12 air strikes on Raqqa, Islamic State’s de facto capital in the north. Elsewhere airstrikes killed 17 people in Idlib, the Observatory said.
Halting the rebel attacks on Kafraya and Foa was negotiated between rebel delegations and Iran in recent weeks, but the negotiations failed to settle the situation in the towns as the rebels set demands that couldn’t be met by the government forces.
Syrian military sources quoted by Reuters have said that Syria is using new types of very accurate weapons supplied by its ally, Russia. Hezbollah fighters are also fighting to defend the two villages. The Pentagon said such talks were necessary to avoid “miscalculation”.
LONDON: The Syrian conflict has gone on for too long and it is time to re-examine ways to end the four-year war and worsening refugee crisis, US.
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On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said President Barack Obama saw military talks with Russian Federation on Syria as an important next step and hoped they would take place soon.
