BEIRUT // The extremist group ISIL has destroyed part of an ancient temple in Syria’s Palmyra city, a group monitoring the conflict said on Sunday.
The militants targeted the Temple of Bel, a Roman-era structure in the central desert city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
› Watch the video here: ISIL destroys part of ancient Syrian temple
It is the second temple ISIL has targeted in Palmyra this month. The group detonated explosives in the ancient Baal Shamin temple on August 25, an act that cultural agency Unesco has called a war crime aimed at wiping out a symbol of Syria’s diverse cultural heritage.
The extent of the damage at the Temple of Bel was not known, the Observatory said, citing its contacts on the ground.
Activists on social media also reported the destruction at the temple, one of Palmyra’s most important structures.
ISIL seized Palmyra in May from government forces in a sudden offensive and is tightly controlling communications in the city, according to activists.
The group, which has proclaimed a caliphate in territory it holds across Syria and Iraq, has regularly demolished monuments it considers sacrilegious as well as carrying out mass killings.
This month the group beheaded the 82-year-old Syrian archaeologist who had looked after Palmyra’s ruins for four decades, and hung his body in public, according to Syria’s antiquities chief.
* Reuters
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Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN MARITIME DISPUTE
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5