Armenia has welcomed the liberation of Palmyra.

“We welcome the liberation of ‪Palmyra‬. World Cultural heritage should be preserved,” teh Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a facebook post.

Syrian government forces backed by heavy Russian air support drove Islamic State out of Palmyra on Sunday, inflicting what the army called a mortal blow to militants who seized the city last year and dynamited its ancient temples.

The army general command said that its forces took over the city with support from Russian and Syrian air strikes, opening up the huge expanse of desert leading east to the Islamic State strongholds of Raqqa and Deir al-Zor.