Russian, Iranian Presidents Discuss Palmyra Victory - Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani held a phone talk, discussing the Syrian army's recent success achieved with the help of Russian aviation, the Kremlin press service said Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Syrian army confirmed Sunday that it had liberated the historic city of Palmyra from Daesh terrorist group with support of national aviation and Russian Aerospace Forces.

"A detailed discussion was held on the Syrian issue, first and foremost in regard to the successful actions of the Syrian army, which was able to push Daesh extremists out of the historic city of Palmyra with the help of Russian Air Forces. It was noted that this was a truly significant event," the press service said in a statement.

The two leaders also discussed a number of bilateral issues and agreed to boost contacts on various levels. The talk was initiated by Moscow.

Palmyra, located 210 kilometers away from Damascus, is considered key for advancing to the Daesh stronghold of Raqqa in eastern Syria. The town of Palmyra and its historic ruins have been under Daesh control since May 2015. The terrorist group has since destroyed part of the historic sites, which are a designated UNESCO World Heritage site.