Syrian armed forces have entered Palmyra after fierce clashes with ISIS terrorists who have been controlling the ancient city since last year, state TV has announced.
They said that government troops, backed by army air power, drove back ISIS militants and reached the heart of the city.
The advance comes after the Syrian army and allied militia took control of several hills overlooking the city earlier this week.
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Press TV reports:
Army forces have retaken control of Palmyra’s northern hotel district as well as the farms situated west of the city.
Reports said earlier in the day that army soldiers were on the edge of Palmyra, liberating the outskirts of the city, located in the western province of Homs.
In an interview with state-run Ikhbariya new channel, a Syrian soldier on the ground said the armed unity would press forward beyond Palmyra.
“We say to those gunmen, we are advancing to Palmyra, and to what’s beyond Palmyra, and God willing to Raqqah,” a northern city which serves as the main Daesh stronghold in Syria.
Homs Governor Talal Barazi told The Associated Press that Syrian forces was approaching the city from three directions.
“We might witness in the next 48 hours an overwhelming victory in Palmyra,” Barazi said, adding that “the army is advancing in a precise and organized way to protect what is possible of monuments and archaeological sites.”
