IS Militants Blow Up Ancient Tombs in Palmyra

Islamic State militants have destroyed three tower tombs in the ancient city of Palmyra, Syria's antiquities chief has said.

Maamoun Abdulkarim told Reuters that sources in Palmyra had confirmed the extremists have blown up the tombs, which were built between 44 and 103AD.

They include that of Elahbel, built in 103AD, which Mr Abdulkarim said was four storeys high and had an underground floor.

The destruction of the tombs comes days after satellite images released by the UN revealed the extent of damage wrought by IS at the 2,000-year-old Temple of Bel site.

The militants believe buildings at the Roman-era World Heritage Site are sacriligeous.

Last month photos circulated by IS supporters appeared to show the group blowing up the Baal Shamin temple.

It also emerged that they had beheaded Khaled Assad, an 82-year-old antiquities scholar who had looked after Palmyra's ruins for more than four decades

UNESCO, the United Nations cultural organisation, has described the destruction of these ancient structures as a "war crime".

In the weeks before Palmyra was captured by IS in May, Syrian officials said they had moved hundreds of ancient statues to safe locations, for fear they would also be destroyed.

Academics at Oxford and Harvard universities also plan to "flood" the Middle East with 5,000 3D cameras by the end of the year - in an attempt to preserve historic buildings at risk of destruction by Islamic State.