New images reveal IS damage to Palmyra

PanARMENIAN.Net - New images have emerged from Palmyra, hours after Syrian troops recaptured it from the Islamic State group (IS), BBC News reports.

The pictures reveal the extent of destruction wrought by the group during their 10-month occupation of the Unesco World Heritage site.

While some treasured monuments have been destroyed, much of the ancient city's ruins are said to remain intact.

Syria's antiquities chief Maamoun Abdulkarim said authorities had been "expecting the worst". But he told the AFP news agency that "the landscape, in general, is in good shape". He was planning to visit the city on Monday, March 28 and start a survey of the ruins.

President Bashar al-Assad hailed the recapture of Palmyra from IS as an "important achievement" in the "war on terrorism".

Military sources say the Syrian army now has "full control" after days of fighting backed by Russian air strikes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Assad, a Kremlin spokesman said.

The Kremlin said President Assad knew the Palmyra operation "would have been impossible without Russia's support".