Latest: Turkey says it warned the Russian jet several times before shooting it down.

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.

Islamic State militants are in full control of the famed archaeological site in the ancient town of Palmyra in central Syria, according to activists.

Syrian military aircraft have bombed the north-western town of Jisr al-Shughour today, a day after insurgents seized control of it as part of a broader offensive that has left government forces in the area reeling.

Syrian air raids on two northern towns held by the militant Islamic State group have killed more than 50 people in two days, activists say.

At least 11 children have been killed after mortars crashed into their school in a rebel-held town in Syria, according to local activists.

Islamic State fighters are poised to capture a strategic Syrian border town, Turkey’s president has warned, even as Kurdish forces battled to expel the extremists from their footholds on the outskirts.

Islamic State fighters backed by tanks and artillery have pushed into an embattled Syrian town on the border with Turkey, sparking heavy street battles with the town’s Kurdish defenders.

Islamic State (IS) fighters backed by tanks have captured 16 Kurdish villages over the past 24 hours in northern Syria near the Turkish border, prompting civilians to flee their homes amid fears of retribution by the extremists sweeping through the area, activists said.

Irish troops deployed with the UN peacekeeping force in the Golan Heights, Syria (UNDOF) have been involved in a number of missions to rescue UN colleagues under fire from rebel forces, a Defence Forces spokesperson has confirmed.

Syrian government troops have captured a fiercely contested suburb of the capital Damascus.

A cut in water supplies in the Syrian city of Aleppo has been condemned by the head of the United Nations.

Eighteen people, including 11 children, have been killed in car bomb attacks in two Syrian villages, state-run television said today.

Lebanese forces have fired on Syrian aircraft that violated the country’s airspace, the first time they have done so since Syria’s uprising broke out three years ago, said security officials.

Two government airstrikes have killed at least 29 people in northern Syria, according to activists.

The main Western-backed Syrian opposition group has said it intends to join peace talks with the Syrian government if conditions are met.