Soldiers from the Syrian army backed by warplanes on Thursday advanced on Daesh positions to within several kilometers of the ancient city of Palmyra, AFP reported.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, government troops were now five kilometers west of the city where they were engaged in fierce clashes with the extremists.
"Regime forces could enter the city at any moment, they are not far away and the area between them and the city is desert," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.
The monitor said intensified regime airstrikes were generally targeting Palmyra’s residential areas, but was unable to provide an immediate toll.
A security source speaking AFP on the condition of anonymity confirmed the army had advanced to within several kilometers of the city.
