palmyra

ISIS retook Palmyra from government forces last month. Syria's antiquities chief now reports that the Tetrapylon — a 16-column structure — and the city's Roman theater have been largely destroyed.

Months after ISIS was pushed out of Palmyra, the extremist group is again fighting for the Syrian city in the face of heavy air strikes by Russia's military.

Syrian government troops say they have driven ISIS forces out of the ancient city, but the self-described Islamic State has destroyed many of the city's historical treasures.

The Russian-backed Syrian army recaptured the ancient city on Sunday, according to state TV. It's a strategic and symbolic victory for the regime against the extremist group.

Russian-backed government troops have entered the ancient city after days of intense clashes with Islamic State militants. Local activists said ISIS warned civilians via loudspeaker to flee.

The new images obtained by The Associated Press show the site of St. Elijah's Monastery in the ISIS-held city of Mosul. ISIS likely destroyed the monastery in the fall of 2014.

The head of Syria's antiquities agency was in Italy making an appeal for help to stop the destruction of his war-torn country's cultural heritage at the hands of Islamic militants.