US-backed forces in northern Syria have paused military operations near a dam held by the Islamic State group to allow engineers to fix any problems.

Islamic State (IS) militants have overrun the famed archaeological site at Palmyra, just hours after seizing the central Syrian town, raising concerns the extremists might destroy some of the priceless ruins as they have done in neighbouring Iraq.

Syrian forces have killed at least five people – including two children – as they fired on anti-government demonstrations across the country today, reports say.

Dozens of bodies were dumped in the streets of a Syrian city at the heart of the country’s nine-month-old uprising, a grim sign that sectarian bloodshed is escalating.

Dozens of people have been reported killed since the weekend in a restive Syrian city where witnesses and activists reported intense shooting overnight.