|
DAMASCUS, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic State (IS) militants destroyed parts of a famous ancient Roman temple in the historic city of Palmyra in central Syria, a monitor group reported Sunday.
The Temple of Bel, an ancient stone ruin that goes back to the Roman era, was partially destroyed by the IS terror group in Palmyra in the countryside of the central province of Homs, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The UK-based watchdog group stopped short of giving further details, but the partial destruction of the ancient temple is the latest in a series of systematic destruction of the ruins of Palmyra, which was overran by the IS last May.
Last week, the IS militants blew up the Temple of Baal Shamin, or "Lord of the Heavens," in Palmyra.
The temple was located just tens of meters from the famous Romanian Theater of Palmyra.
Since capturing Palmyra, the terror-labeled group destroyed the city's notorious military prison and several Islamic tombs.
The IS also committed public executions of government soldiers and people accused of working for the government.
Their latest execution was against a Khaled Asaad, a prominent Syrian archeologist, who had lived in Palmyra for most of his life and dedicated his carrier to study the archeological sites of Palmyra.
Government officials said the IS militants were trying to extract information of Asaad about the "hidden gold" of Palmyra, which, they said, doesn't even exist.
Palmyra contains the monumental ruins of a great city that was one of the most important cultural centers of the ancient world.
Syria has many prehistoric, Greek, Byzantine and Islamic heritages. Before the crisis, Syria had attracted many multinational archaeological missions coming for searching new clues of historical facts on the development of civilizations.
Related:
UN chief slams continuing acts of terror, grave violations of int'l law by IS in Syria
UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday condemned "the continuing acts of terror and grave violations of international law committed by Da'esh," also known as Islamic State (IS) in Syria, according to a statement issued here by Ban's spokesman.
The crimes committed by Da'esh include "the systematic destruction and plunder of the country's cultural heritage," said the statement, adding that Ban has called upon the international community "to unite and act swiftly to put a stop to this terrorist activity." Full story
Car bomb kills 4 in Syria's Homs: TV
DAMASCUS, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Four people were killed and 19 others wounded Saturday when a booby-trapped car went off in a pro-government district of Syria's central city of Homs, state-run TV reported.
The car with fake plates was detonated at Mwasalat roundabout in Zahra'a neighborhood in Homs, said the report, adding that one kid is in grave condition as a result of the blast. Full story
