Breaking news- IS Militants Blow Up Ancient Tombs in Palmyra

IS Militants Blow Up Ancient Tombs in Palmyra

The destruction comes just days after satellite images revealed militants had obliterated a temple at the Roman-era site.

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   Islamic State fighters have taken full control of Palmyra, raising fears for the site's priceless antiquities
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   Palmyra is a UNESCO World Heritage site
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   It is home to millennia-old tombs, colonnades and Roman temples
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   Its art and architecture blends Greco-Roman techniques with local traditions and Persian influence
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   UNESCO describes Palmyra as a heritage site of 'outstanding universal value'. Continue through for more images
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16. Islamic State fighters have taken full control of Palmyra, raising fears for the site's priceless antiquities

Islamic State militants have destroyed three tower tombs in the ancient city of Palmyra, Syria's antiquities chief has said.

Maamoun Abdulkarim told Reuters that sources in Palmyra had confirmed the extremists have blown up the tombs, which were built between 44 and 103AD.
They include that of Elahbel, built in 103AD, which Mr Abdulkarim said was four storeys high and had an underground floor.
The destruction of the tombs comes days after satellite images released by the UN revealed the extent of damage wrought by IS at the 2,000-year-old Temple of Bel site.

Temple of Bel damage. Pics: Airbus DS UNITAR-UNOSAT/UrtheCast UNITAR-UNOSAT

The militants believe buildings at the Roman-era World Heritage Site are sacriligeous.
Last month photos circulated by IS supporters appeared to show the group blowing up the Baal Shamin temple.

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   Once a major tourist attraction in Syria full of cultural and historical significance, only rubble remains now
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   Explosives were laid around the Baal Shamin temple, as these images circulating on social media accounts linked to Islamic State show
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   A large blast is seen at the site, which is more than 1,800 years old
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   Once a major tourist attraction in Syria full of cultural and historical significance, only rubble remains now
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   Explosives were laid around the Baal Shamin temple, as these images circulating on social media accounts linked to Islamic State show

It also emerged that they had beheaded Khaled Assad, an 82-year-old antiquities scholar who had looked after Palmyra's ruins for more than four decades
UNESCO, the United Nations cultural organisation, has described the destruction of these ancient structures as a "war crime".
In the weeks before Palmyra was captured by IS in May, Syrian officials said they had moved hundreds of ancient statues to safe locations, for fear they would also be destroyed.

Video: Warm Tributes For Palmyra Scholar

Academics at Oxford and Harvard universities also plan to "flood" the Middle East with 5,000 3D cameras by the end of the year - in an attempt to preserve historic buildings at risk of destruction by Islamic State.

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   Gallery: Satellite Images Show Temple of Bel Destruction
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   Gallery: Satellite Images Show Temple of Bel Destruction