Syrian regime aircraft Friday carried out at least 25 strikes on Daesh (the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Syria and the Levant)-controlled Palmyra, the country’s famed ancient city, with eight civilians among the dead, a monitoring group said.
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Syrian planes are pounding the Islamic State-held town of Palmyra, killing at least 15 people in a series of air strikes, according to activists.
Speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, he said around 24 people were killed and many others wounded, with many of them in critical condition.
Since capturing it, the terror-labeled group destroyed the city’s notorious military prison and several Islamic tombs and centuries-old temples.
Syria is reeling under four years of conflict and intense battles between government troops and an array of ultra-radical groups such as the Nursra Front and the IS.
In a recent interview with Russian media, Assad blamed the growing outflow of refugees on the West, which he said has been supporting “terrorists” in Syria. The Syrians have occasionally targeted the city as well, but Syrian government airstrikes typically concentrate on opposition-held areas of the country.
The city and its countryside are often hit by warplanes of the U.S.-led coalition, targeting ISIS headquarters and fighting positions.
For the United States officials, “if they cooperate with the Syrian army, this is like recognition of our effectiveness in fighting ISIL”, Assad said.
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The remarks were made during a meeting held between al-Moallem and the visiting United Nations envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura.
