- Russia warplanes in Syria attack militants carrying weapons to Palmyra — source
- Syrian forces fighting IS militants in south of Palmyra — SANA news agency
- Russian military officer killed near Palmyra — Hmeimim source
- Russian warplanes deliver airstrikes at 146 facilities near Palmyra — defense ministry
- Russian lawmaker: Liberation of Palmyra will show world who confronts IS
MOSCOW, March 25. /TASS/. Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni has spoken up for UNESCO’s bigger role in restoration of Palmyra’s cultural heritage once this ancient city in Syria is liberated.
"Now there is a possibility to liberate Palmyra," he said on Friday after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. "It could be an opportunity for culture-sector peacekeepers to seek more active role of UNESCO when this city of incredible importance is loberated."
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has welcomed the liberation of Palmyra’s antique monuments from the Islamic State militants by Syrian government troops, UNESCO’s Director-General Irina Bokova said in a statement released on Thursday.