Daesh pulls out of Syria’s Palmyra under Russia air raids: Monitoring group

Daesh Takfiri terrorists have reportedly withdrawn from the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra amid counter-operations by government forces backed by Russian fighter jets.

“Intense Russian raids since last night forced IS (Daesh) out of Palmyra” hours after the terrorists briefly re-entered the city, said the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Sunday

The Observatory head, Rami Abdel Rahman, said a large number of Daesh militants were killed in the Russian airstrikes, without providing a precise figure.

On Thursday, Daesh began an offensive to regain a foothold in Palymra in the west-central Homs Province months after the Syrian army liberated the city from the terror group.

The militants had managed to seize areas to the northwest and southeast of the historic city, according to the Syrian army.

Damascus was, however, quick to deploy reinforcements to the outskirts of Palmyra, engaging in heavy clashes against the terrorists there.