Syria culture ministry slams US strikes near historic site

Syria's culture ministry on Saturday condemned overnight US strikes that local media said damaged a historic site in Deir Ezzor province in the country's east.

The United States launched the air strikes against Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for a recent drone attack on an American base in Jordan that killed three US soldiers.

Syria's culture ministry condemned "in the strongest terms the barbaric US bombardment of the Al-Rahba fortress" in eastern Syria's Mayadeen area.

In a statement on social media, it said the citadel, located along the Euphrates river, dates to the ninth century, without elaborating on the damage the site sustained.

The "blatant" attack violated "all international norms and charters that call for the protection and respect for cultural property", the ministry added.