Syria: IS destroys part of Roman theater in Palmyra

BEIRUT (AP) — Islamic State group militants destroyed the landmark ancient Tetrapylon and parts of the 2nd century Roman theater in Syria's historic town of Palmyra, the government and opposition monitoring groups said Friday.

Maamoun Abdulkarim, the head of Syria's antiquities department, said the militants destroyed the facade of the second-century theater along with the Tetrapylon, a cubic-shaped ancient Roman monument that sits in the middle of the colonnade road that leads to the theater.

Satellite imagery obtained by the Boston-based American Schools of Oriental Research show extensive damage to the Tetrapylon.

The extremists have destroyed ancient sites across their self-styled Islamic caliphate in Syria and Iraq, viewing them as monuments to idolatry.

State-run news agency SANA reported the damage Friday and Syrian opposition monitors also confirmed but gave no immediate details.