Bashar Assad hails recapture of historic Palmyra

Syrian president Bashar Assad has called his army’s recapture of Palmyra a “significant achievement”.

In comments reported by Syrian state TV, he said that the overthrow of IS in the historic town offered “new evidence of the effectiveness of the strategy espoused by the Syrian army and its allies in the war against terrorism”.

Government forces had been on the offensive for nearly three weeks to try to retake the town, which is home to famed Roman-era ruins and was once one of Syria’s top tourist destinations. It had been in the hands of militants from IS since May.