Militants threaten to blow up Palmyra

ISIS has begun carrying out its threat to destroy structures in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, blowing up at least two monuments at the Unesco-protected site as Syrian government troops made advances on the Islamist's positions.

Photographs published by the group showed the bombing of a tomb about 2.5 miles north of the centre of Palmyra, and of another shrine, which lies just outside the main Unesco site.

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It is believed that mines have been planted around other, better-known monuments, including the Roman-era amphitheatre above which Isis's black flag has been raised, ready for detonation at any time.

It seems likely that the destruction was sent as a sign to President Bashar al-Assad's forces that the rest of the site will be destroyed if the Syrian army advances are not checked. Some reports had Syrian forces just five miles from the Isis front-line position in the village of Al-Amariyah.