Syrian jets pound 'IS' targets in Palmyra

The Syrian air force carried out at least 25 strikes on the central desert city of Palmyra on Saturday, reported the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Spokesman Rami Abdel Raham said the bombardment was "one of the strongest attacks by Syrian warplanes" in the ancient city since IS jihadists captured it on May 21.

The raid began a few days after Islamist insurgents carried out a mass execution of Syrian regime troops, shooting dead 56 men.

Around Palmyra, forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have been battling to retake the city over the past four months.

The city is home to several ancient structures, which have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. Several of them, including the Temple of Bel, were destroyed by the militants.

Seventeen people were killed in similar air raids on the northwest city of Idlib, according to the group tracking the Syrian conflict. Scores more died in regime air strikes on IS's de facto capital, Raqqa, on Thursday.

Idlib remains a stronghold of an alliance of Islamist and jihadist groups, which is close to the border with Turkey. The Islamists lost 17 fighters during the latest assault on the last two regime-held villages nearby. Several car bombs were set off during the raid, the Observatory added.

New massacre

The mass killing of scores of Syrian regime forces took place at the Abu Zuhour air base "a few days ago," according to the Observatory.

Fifty-six members of Assad's army were shot dead, witnesses reported, after the air base was captured by an alliance of groups including the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front on September 9.

Mohammed Kanaan, an activist based in Syria, told the Associated Press the militants shot dead 45 soldiers adding that the "executions" took place on a runway in the air base. He said the killings occurred on Friday.

The capture of the air base was the latest in a series of setbacks for President Bashar Assad's forces.

Russia jets to Syria

Meanwhile, Moscow has deployed four fighter jets to an airbase in Syria, a US official said on Friday, on condition on anonymity.

Russia has been building up its military presence at the Latakia air base in recent weeks. The jets were seen on the ground at that location, the official said.

On Friday, the Kremlin said it would consider sending troops to Syria, if Damascus requested them. A spokesman told a Russian news agency that some 2,400 of its nationals are fighting for IS in the country. Moscow has vowed its own military response to the militant group, unconnected to the US-led anti-IS coalition.

The four-and-a-half-year, multi-front Syrian conflict, has claimed more than 240,000 lives. It was further complicated when IS militants captured large parts of Iraq and Syria as part of their self-declared calyphate.

mm/rc (AP, AFP, Reuters)