Beirut (AFP) – Syrian government aircraft launched at least 15 strikes in and around the ancient city of Palymra on Monday, following its fall to the Islamic State group, a monitoring group said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least four civilians had been killed in the raids, which were the most intense since the jihadists overran the city on Thursday.
“Since this morning, government aircraft have carried out at least 15 air strikes in Palmyra and the areas around it,” Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said.
He said that dozens of people had also been wounded in the raids, and that IS was believed to have taken losses when a military security building was hit.
The strikes targeted several areas of the city, including some close to the city’s famed Greco-Roman ruins, a UNESCO world heritage site, he said.