The ISIS militant group has released images claiming to show the destruction of the Baalshamin Temple in Palmyra. Standing at the far eastern end of the main colonnaded street, the temple represents the most important religious building of the 1st century A.D. in the Middle East.
ISIS circulated this and the following images appearing to show the destruction of the temple. Here militants appear to be carrying explosives into the temple.
Another ISIS image apparently showing the explosives inside the temple.
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Explosives are seen wired on the exterior of the 2,000-year-old temple.
UNESCO, which had listed the site as one of the most important cultural centers of the ancient world, described the attack on the ancient ruins as a "war crime."