ISIS Bombs Ancient Temple in Palmyra

The Islamic State blew up an ancient temple in the historic city of Palmyra, Syrian government officials and local activists announced on Sunday.

The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that ISIS used “a large quantity of explosives” to raze the Temple of Baalshamin, as reported by the New York Times.

Home to an array of ancient ruins and once a tourist haven, Palmyra was captured by ISIS in April. Shortly after, teenage ISIS fighters executed dozens of Syrian soldiers and later released a video in June. Palmyra is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Last week, ISIS beheaded Khaled Asaad, 82, who was a prominent archeologist and leading expert on Palmyra.

ISIS Accused of Another Chemical Weapons Attack

Opposition rebel groups and locals in the Aleppo area accused ISIS of using chemical weapons during a prolonged military assault on the village of Marea.

Rebels and residents said that some of the weapons used against them during a two-hour attack on the town contained a chemical agent.

Hospital staff treating the victims later said that they “detected a foul smell coming from the injuries” and victims began coming in with labored breathing, red skin patches, diarrhea and red, watery eyes – all symptoms of chemical warfare,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Earlier this summer, the U.S. accused ISIS of using mustard gas against Kurdish fighters in Syria and northern Iraq.

New Government Airstrikes Kill Dozens in Douma

Syrian government forces on Sunday launched renewed airstrikes on Douma, a Damascus-area town under rebel control. The death toll reached at least 34 civilians, including a dozen children, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Rebel-launched rocket attacks also killed 11 people in a government-controlled area of Damascus, Syrian state media reported, as noted by Agence France Press.

The new attacks on Douma came just a week after government forces killed more than 110 civilians during airstrikes on the town. On Friday, a local council declared Douma a “disaster zone” and appealed to the world for help in ensuring access to humanitarian aid.

Recommended Reads:

• The New York Times: An Opening for Diplomacy in Syria
• Haaretz: Iran’s New Agent on Syria’s Border Can’t Escape Crosshairs of Israeli Intel
• The National: Assad is More Than Happy to Play a Waiting Game
• The Guardian: Beheading of Khaled al-Asaad, Keeper of Palmyra, Unites Syria in Condemnation
• Al Jazeera English: How Barack Obama Betrayed the Syrian People

Photo: The ancient city of Palmyra was earlier this year captured by ISIS, which destroyed a historic pre-Islamic tomb on Sunday. (Associated Press)