Terrorists Capture Ancient Syrian City, Reports Say

Reports indicate that terrorists have seized control of an ancient city in Syria, raising concerns over the protection of cultural heritage and the escalating security situation in the region.

According to Turkish media, terrorist groups in Syria have seized control of the ancient city of Palmyra as they continue their advance towards Damascus. It has been reported that government forces have withdrawn from a nearby airbase.

According to Türkiye’s Anadolu news agency, the city—located on the main road between Damascus and Deir-ez-Zor where Kurdish militias are presently engaged in combat with the Syrian Army—was captured by the US-backed Syrian Free Army on Saturday. The Syrian Free Army is a faction within the broader coalition known as the Free Syrian Army (FSA), which comprises various anti-government groups including several jihadist factions and local militias.

A separate Al Jazeera report states that Syrian Army personnel started evacuating the strategic T-4 airbase soon after the FSA took control of Palmyra. Together with Damascus International Airport, T-4—located between Palmyra and Homs—is regarded as a crucial resupply hub for the nation’s military forces.

The Free Syrian Army’s (FSA) attack on Palmyra followed an offensive initiated by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadists from the northern provinces of Idlib and Aleppo last week. Since then, HTS militants have captured the cities of Aleppo and Hama, along with several towns north of Homs. They are reportedly engaged in battles against Syrian Army forces in Homs and on the outskirts of Damascus.

If HTS gains control of Homs and the FSA takes over Palmyra, both groups will have the capability to launch attacks on Damascus from multiple directions.

Palmyra, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, faced an assault in 2015 by Islamic State (IS) militants during the peak of the Syrian Civil War. The IS fighters plundered invaluable artifacts from Palmyra’s museums and destroyed historic structures such as the 2,000-year-old Temple of Bel and the Arch of Victory. Additionally, they utilized Palmyra’s Roman amphitheater for carrying out public executions.

In 2016, Syrian government forces reclaimed Palmyra with the support of Russian airstrikes and personnel from Russia’s Wagner private military company. Although IS gained control of the city for a short period later that year, it was once more freed by Syrian and Russian troops in 2017.

Earlier on Saturday, the Syrian government refuted media claims that President Bashar Assad had fled or was planning to flee Syria. Assad has pledged to “eliminate” the terrorists advancing towards the capital and vowed to punish their “sponsors and supporters,” in response to reports suggesting that HTS militants were trained by Ukrainian military intelligence.

Russian and Syrian warplanes have relentlessly launched airstrikes on HTS positions since the terrorist offensive started last week, reportedly resulting in dozens of militant casualties north of Homs on Saturday.