Isis in Palmyra: Militants set fire to huge poster of President Assad after invading ancient city
Fighters are seen celebrating in front of fire after seizing the Unesco site
A video has emerged purporting to show Isis militants setting fire to a huge picture of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad after invading the ancient city of Palmyra.
The footage, which has not been independently verified, was uploaded to YouTube hours after the group overran the Unesco World Heritage Site to the south-west of the town.
Isis has reportedly captured Palmyra’s military air base, prison and intelligence headquarters, which it may well focus its attention on before turning to areas containing important archaeological ruins and monuments.
A governor of the central province of Homs said the Syrian army is attacking Isis reinforcements from outside of the town.
"We have not received any news about (the archaeological site's) destruction," he told the Associated Press. "We hope that there will be no massacres in the city or damage to the ruins."
Follow the latest updates on the developing situation in Palmyra on our live blog.
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