海角大神

A聽lightning Islamic State聽offensive in the central Syrian Desert has put the聽jihadist聽group at the gates of the ancient city of Palmyra, a UNESCO world heritage site, fanning fears for the fate of聽its ruins.

It is also聽raising聽the prospect of a drawn-out battle in this strategic region,聽home to one of Syria鈥檚 largest weapons depots, a military airbase, and valuable gas fields that have changed hands more than once during the war.

Palmyra, also known as Tadmor, is one of the most impressive relics of the ancient world, settled as early as the third millennium BC. Marc Antony and the early Romans found it to be an elusive prize, but historians believe it was integrated into the Syrian Province by the reign of Nero in the first century AD.

The Syrian conflict has already taken a toll on the ruins of Palmyra: The regime has dug defensive聽trenches and聽dirt mounts,聽while聽rebels have raided ancient tombs to sell聽on聽the illicit antiquities market. But聽an even larger threat comes from the self-described聽Islamic State聽(IS), which has聽alternately聽looted聽or聽destroyed the treasures of ancient聽Middle East聽civilizations聽in the territories it has conquered.

Palmyra 鈥渞epresents an irreplaceable treasure for the Syrian people and for the world,鈥� UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova said聽Thursday. 鈥淚 appeal to all parties to protect Palmyra and make every effort to prevent its destruction.鈥�

Cultural property expert France Desmarais says IS victory there would be 鈥渄evastating for the preservation of one of the most important cultural and historical sites of Syria.鈥澛營t would also be聽鈥渁larming as it would give IS control over a larger portion of Syria鈥� in an area linking to Iraq to the east and the capital Damascus to the southwest.

One ray of hope is that IS doesn鈥檛 generally destroy war loot that it can sell but its fighters鈥� proximity to the ruins,聽reportedly within a mile, is cause for major concern.

鈥淭hey are predictable and unpredictable at the same time, so it is difficult to assess what they would or wouldn't destroy,鈥� says Ms. Desmarais, director of programs and development at聽the聽International Council of Museums. The Paris-based group has published at risk to help antiquities experts and law enforcement agents identify stolen objects.

鈥淭hey could destroy sections of the ruins for propaganda, to show that they are unstoppable and capable of destroying any proof of past history.鈥�

Assault on three fronts

Islamic State fighters began a major attack on the city of Palmyra聽on Monday, approaching it from the north and east. On the first day they took the nearby town of Sukhna, which sits on the road to the eastern聽Syrian聽city of Deir Ezzor, an IS stronghold. They also took聽the village of Al-Amariya on the northern edge of the city.

By聽Wednesday, IS fighters had opened a third front聽to聽the south,聽approaching聽Palmyra from the oasis, where a network聽of date聽and聽olive groves聽frames聽the vast complex of Roman-era ruins. The聽Syrian聽regime has so far kept its grip on a military security branch in the west,聽its infamous Tadmor prison, and the military airport, according to local sources contacted via social media.

鈥淭he caliphate soldiers have carried out a quality attack against the Nuseiri apostates in the city of Palmyra,鈥� boasted Radio Raqqa, a mouthpiece for the Sunni jihadists. Nuseiri is a derogatory term used to refer to President Bashar al-Assad and his minority Alawite sect,聽an offshoot of Shia Islam.聽鈥淭he fight is still underway between soldiers of the merciful and the soldiers of the devil.鈥�

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which draws on a network of activists on the ground for its information, said IS had executed 26 civilians captured near Palmyra, 10 of whom were beheaded on charges of 鈥渃ollaborating with the regime.鈥�

Videos posted on the IS-linked channel Al-Amaq show rockets being fired in the direction of regime artillery positions at the signal tower next to the 13th century citadel, a strategic highpoint looking down on the historic site and the聽contemporary聽city.

Tourism and tribalism

Modern Palmyra has remained under聽tight聽regime control except for several months at the end of 2011. An estimated 200,000 residents live there, half of them refugees from other areas. Before the war, Palmyra lived off agriculture, livestock, and a thriving tourism industry that made the most of the ruins, local Bedouin traditions, and spectacular sunrises and sunsets.

Most of the rebels from this city have scattered to other areas in Syria or found shelter in neighboring countries. While many are with the moderate Free Syrian Army, a significant portion has joined the ranks of IS and Al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra. Others have sought to form tribal units that could act as counterweights to the extremists.聽

Regime supporters, meanwhile, were absorbed into neighborhood-based militias. Opposition activists have long claimed that Tadmor鈥檚聽military airport is used as an entry point to bring supplies and supporters in from Iran, one of the main backers of the Assad regime.聽

鈥淚f the Islamic State is able to seize the regime鈥檚 weapon and fuel depots in this area they will be able to reach all the way to Beirut and Jerusalem,鈥� says Abu Ali al-Badia, a Palmyra native monitoring developments from Turkey.聽 鈥淭here are more than 150 types of weapons in the arms depot just north of the city. It is one of Syria鈥檚 largest.鈥�

The regime has already begun sending reinforcements from Homs to Palmyra in a bid to defend strategic supply routes to Deir Ezzor, where the regime still holds a military airport. But the gains that IS has already made in the Syrian Desert, or Badia, mark a dangerous development for President Assad鈥檚 increasingly overstretched forces, according to Syrian analyst Malik al-Abdeh.

鈥淭hey鈥檝e lost significant territory so far,鈥澛爏ays聽Mr. Abdeh. 鈥淚f you allow IS to control Tadmor聽, essentially you are inviting attacks聽on聽Damascus from the northeast and also Homs from the east.鈥�

Abdeh says the fight for the region could be lengthy and complex.鈥淚t is all a question of whether the regime will prioritize holding Palmyra over other areas,鈥� he says.