ISIS Pushed out of Palmyra by Syrian Forces

The Syrian army on Sunday completed its mission of reclaiming the historic and strategic town of Palmyra from the Islamic State (ISIS). It had fallen to ISIS last May, at which time the terrorist group proceeded to blow up ancient Roman artifacts such as temples at the site. Palmyra became symbolic of the resurgence of the Syrian forces which teetered on the edge of defeat until the Russians began flying air support that attacked the ISIS military machine. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights called the battle for Palmyra the biggest defeat ISIS has suffered since it began to amass land for its caliphate in 2014. It reported that more than 400 ISIS fighters died during the battles. On Monday, an Iranian news agency reported that the Iranian National Security Council sent congratulations to Syrian President Assad on the occasion of his victory in Palmyra.