Activists: Syria government airstrikes pound IS-controlled Palmyra for days, rout civilians
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FILE - This undated file image released by UNESCO shows the site of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria. A satellite image on Aug. 31, 2015 shows that the main building of the ancient Temple of Bel in Palmyra has been destroyed, a United Nations agency said. Experts, conservators and local residents are scrambling to document Syria's millennia-long cultural heritage that has been damaged by the country's war since 2011, by battles against the Islamic State group and by its intentional destruction. (Ron Van Oers/UNESCO via AP, File) (The Associated Press)
Activists and residents of Syria's ancient city of Palmyra say days-long government airstrikes targeting the area controlled by the Islamic State group have forced hundreds of residents to flee.
A city resident says the bombardment, which included dropping barrel bombs, continued for the third straight day on Thursday, without any let up as Muslims started marking the first day of the Eid Al-Adha holiday.
He says there is a severe shortage of medical supplies and that hundreds of the few remaining residents fled in the early morning to Raqqa — another IS-controlled city about 270 kilometers (170 miles) from Palmyra.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The resident spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared for his safety.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported airstrikes on Palmyra for the past three days.