Palmyra

Syrian government troops and militia put up fierce resistance on May 17 to an Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group assault on one of the jewels of the country's heritage, ancient Palmyra.

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) jihadists battled Syrian troops near ancient Palmyra May 14, threatening the UNESCO world heritage site with destruction like that which it has already wreaked in Iraq, a monitoring group said.

Satellite imagery indicate that 290 cultural heritage sites in Syria, whose history stretches back to the dawn of civilization, have been damaged by its ongoing civil war, the United Nations' training and research arm (UNITAR) said on Dec. 23.