Syrian government forces have recaptured the ancient city of Palmyra, scoring an important victory over so-called 'Islamic State' fighters who waged a 10-month reign of terror there.

Syrian president Bashar Assad has described his army's recapture of Palmyra as a "significant achievement".

Government forces backed by Russian airstrikes have driven Islamic State fighters from the historic central town of Palmyra, held by the extremists since May, Syrian state media and an opposition monitoring group say.

Syrian government forces, backed by Russian air strikes, have pushed into the ancient town of Palmyra, which has been held by the Islamic State group since May, state TV reported.

Suspected Russian war planes have bombed the outskirts of Palmyra, sending smoke rising out of an area that includes a historic castle overlooking the Syrian city’s Roman ruins, activists said.

Syrian planes are pounding the 'Islamic State'-held town of Palmyra, killing at least 15 people in a series of air strikes, according to activists.

A satellite image shows the main building of the ancient Temple of Bel in the Syrian city of Palmyra has been destroyed, a United Nations agency said.

Militants from the co-called 'Islamic State' group have destroyed a temple at Syria’s ancient ruins of Palmyra, according to activists.

Islamic State (IS) militants have destroyed a temple at Syria’s ancient ruins of Palmyra, according to activists.

Islamic State group extremists have beheaded one of Syria’s most prominent antiquities scholars in the ancient town of Palmyra, according to state media and an activist group.

Islamic State militants have destroyed two historic mausoleums in Palmyra, Syria’s top antiquities official has said.

A Syrian official has called on the international community to protect the 2,000-year-old ruins of the ancient city of Palmyra, now threatened by advancing Islamic State militants.