Syrian army aiming to capture historic IS-held city of PalmyraMarch 11, 2016 - 18:46 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Syrian army backed by Russian air strikes is aiming to capture the historic city of Palmyra from Islamic State to open a road to the eastern province of Deir ez-Zor in an offensive that got under way this week, a source close to the Syrian government said, according to Reuters. The Russian air force has hit Palmyra with dozens of air strikes since Wednesday, March 9, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group. Syrian government forces were on Friday battling Islamic State some 7 km (4 miles) from the ancient site that fell to the jihadists last May. Observatory Director Rami Abdulrahman described it as a large-scale assault, calling it a "real operation to retake control". The source close to Damascus said the aim was to "seize the road from Tadmur (Palmyra) to Deir al-Zor." Islamic State has blown up ancient temples and tombs since capturing Palmyra in what the UN cultural agency UNESCO has called a war crime. The city, located at a crossroads in central Syria, is surrounded mostly by desert. The capture of Palmrya and further eastward advances into Islamic State-held Deir ez-Zor would mark the most significant Syrian government gain against IS since the start of the Russian intervention. With Russia's help, Damscus has already taken back some ground from IS, notably east of Aleppo. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |