 Status of main battle fronts in Syria and Iraq Beirut (AFP) Dec 12, 2016 - Here are the latest developments on the main battle fronts in Syria and Iraq, as of 1730 GMT on Monday: SYRIA - Battle for Aleppo - The crucial battle for Aleppo entered what the army called its "final phase" on Monday after Syrian rebels retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances. President Bashar al-Assad's forces held more than 90 percent of the onetime opposition stronghold of east Aleppo, a monitor and military official said, and appeared on the verge of retaking the entire city. An estimated 130,000 people have poured out of east Aleppo since late November, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The monitor said on Monday that 10,000 of those had fled rebel areas in the previous 24 hours. The government assault on Aleppo has killed at least 415 civilians since it began in mid-November, according to the Observatory. Another 130 civilians have been killed by rebel fire into the city's west over the same period, it says. The fall of Aleppo would be the worst rebel defeat since Syria's conflict began in 2011, and leave the government in control of the country's five major cities. - Raqa - A US-backed alliance said on Saturday it would launch the second phase of its battle for the Islamic State jihadist group's de facto Syrian capital of Raqa, which is east of Aleppo. Backed by air strikes from the US-led coalition, members of the Syrian Democratic Forces have pushed south from areas near the Turkish border, advancing to within 25 kilometres (15 miles) of the city. Washington has announced it is sending an additional 200 troops to join the 300 it has already deployed to support the campaign for Raqa. - Palmyra - In central Syria, IS recaptured all of the desert city of Palmyra on Sunday, sparking new concerns about the remaining ancient treasures at the UNESCO World Heritage site. IS retaking Palmyra has given the jihadist group an important propaganda boost as it faces offensives against its two most important bastions -- Raqa and Iraq's Mosul. The Syrian army backed by air strikes from regime ally Russia had expelled the jihadists from Palmyra in March, after IS first seized the city in May 2015. IRAQ - Battle for Mosul - In Iraq, Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) paramilitaries battled IS southwest of Mosul on a front aimed at cutting the jihadists' supply lines to Syria. Pro-government forces launched an assault on October 17 to eject IS from its last Iraqi stronghold, and they have taken almost half of eastern Mosul. The elite Counter-Terrorism Service now controls several eastern neighbourhoods and is closing in on the river Tigris that divides the city. Federal police and interior ministry forces have mostly been fighting on a southern front, which has stalled within striking distance of Mosul airport south of the city. The United Nations says a total of 90,000 people have been displaced as a result of the Mosul operation.
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The Islamic State jihadist group recaptured Palmyra on Sunday after Syrian armed forces pulled out of the desert city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
"Despite the ongoing air raids, IS retook all of Palmyra after the Syrian army withdrew south of the city," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.
The jihadists made a lightning-fast advance across the city after overrunning a northern neighbourhood and capturing the famed citadel to Palmyra's west.
The IS-linked Amaq news agency also reported that IS regained "full control" of the city on Sunday after taking the citadel, which overlooks Palmyra from a strategic hilltop.
IS launched an offensive last week near Palmyra, a renowned UNESCO World Heritage site.
It seized oil and gas fields before making a major push into the desert city on Saturday, sparking new worries for Palmyra's remaining ancient treasures.
But a fierce Russian bombing campaign killed scores of IS fighters and forced others to withdraw at dawn on Sunday.
"Intense Russian raids since last night forced IS out of Palmyra, hours after the jihadists retook control of the city," said the Observatory's Rami Abdel Rahman.
"The army brought reinforcements into Palmyra last night, and the raids are continuing on jihadist positions around the city," he told AFP.
In a statement issued in Moscow, the defence ministry said Russian warplanes conducted 64 air strikes against "positions, convoys and advancing reserves of militants" in Palmyra.
"Over the past night, Syrian government troops with active support of the Russian air force thwarted all terrorist attacks on Palmyra," it said in a statement.
"The attacking militants actively used car bombs with suicide bombers, armoured vehicles and rocket artillery," it said, adding that the strikes killed more than 300 militants and destroyed 11 tanks and 31 vehicles.
Russia has carried out a bombing campaign in Syria in support of its ally President Bashar al-Assad since September 2015.
- Hit-and-run -
IS fighters have used hit-and-run tactics to cut their losses of personnel and equipment, withdrawing under intense bombardment but quickly relaunching an attack when skies are clear.
The jihadists have killed around 100 members of Syrian government forces since launching simultaneous attacks on several regime positions near Palmyra on Thursday, the Britain-based Observatory said.
They targeted areas including near the Mahr and Shaar oil and gas fields and seized government checkpoints, silos and the village of Jazal, northwest of Palmyra.
In May last year, the Sunni Muslim extremist group seized several towns in Homs province including Palmyra, where they caused extensive damage to many of its ancient sites.
They were ousted from Palmyra in March by Syrian regime forces backed by Russia.
That was hailed as a major victory, with Russian celebrities travelling there since March staging concerts and making public appearances.
Moscow has been under severe criticism for its air strikes on Aleppo -- which it says it stopped on October 18 -- where the anti-Assad opposition is currently holed up in just a fraction of the territory it once controlled.
The city's eastern districts are still being bombed by the Syrian regime which Washington has labelled "war crimes" and a UN General Assembly demanded an immediate ceasefire to stop the carnage.
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