UNESCO chief says latest destruction in Syria's Palmyra sites is war crime

PARIS: The head of the United Nations cultural agency said on Friday that the destruction of the Tetrapylon and the facade of the Roman Theatre in the Syrian city of Palmyra by Islamic State militants was a "new war crime."

"This destruction is a new war crime and an immense loss for the Syrian people and for humanity," UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova said in a statement.

"This new blow against cultural heritage, just a few hours after UNESCO received reports about mass executions in the theatre, shows that cultural cleansing led by violent extremists is seeking to destroy both human lives and historical monuments in order to deprive the Syrian people of its past and its future."