Beirut: Daesh terrorists have blown up a famed temple in Syria’s ancient Palmyra, in an act the UN condemned as a war crime and an “immense loss” for humanity.
The destruction of the Baal Shamin temple, considered the second-most significant in ancient Palmyra, raised concerns for the rest of the Unesco World Heritage sites.
It comes only days after IS beheaded the 82-year-old retired chief archaeologist of Palmyra, sparking widespread condemnation.
“This destruction is a new war crime and an immense loss for the Syrian people and for humanity,” said Irina Bokova, the head of the UN cultural watchdog Unesco, calling for the perpetrators to be held accountable.
“Daesh is killing people and destroying sites, but cannot silence history and will ultimately fail to erase this great culture from the memory of the world,” Bokova said in a statement.
