Syrian head of antiquities said Monday that Islamic State extremists have blown up the famous Arch of Triumph in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra.

Antiquities director Maamun Abdulkarim said that they have received news from the site that the Arch of Triumph was destroyed on Sunday. The Arch of Triumph, situated at the entrance of the ancient ruins' historic colonnaded street, was an "icon of Palmyra".

IS has carried out a sustained campaign of destruction against heritage sites in areas under its control in Syria and Iraq. They beheaded the ancient city's 82-year-old former antiquities chief in mid-August.

Many of the historic sites destroed by ISIL are on the UNESCO World Heritage list, and before the war around 150,000 tourists a year visited Palmyra.

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