In a press release UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Director-General Irina Bokova said: “I am both saddened and outraged to learn of the brutal murder of Khaled Asaad, who oversaw antiquities at the UNESCO World Heritage site at Palmyra… I in no uncertain terms condemn the horrific act.”

According to news reports, militants apparently killed the 82-year-old Mr. Asaad yesterday at the legendary Palmyra site where he had worked for more than 50 years. Having been held for over a month, according to these reports, he was being questioned about the location of valuable artefacts.

“They killed him because he would not betray his deep commitment to Palmyra,” the Director-General said. “Here is where he dedicated his life, revealing Palmyra’s precious history and interpreting it so that we could learn from this great city that was a crossroads of the ancient world. His work will live on far beyond the reach of these extremists. They murdered a great man, but they will never silence history.”

Ms. Bokova was also saddened to learn of the killing of Qasem Abdullah Yehiya, who, according to the Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums (DGAM), said the Assistant Director of laboratories died in a rocket attack on the Damascus Citadel and the National Museum last week. “The killing of Mr. Yehiya is a deplorable act, made all the more senseless that it was the result of an attack on the museum and ancient citadel,” she said.

The Director-General added that the untimely deaths of Mr. Assad and Mr. Yehiya “are a terrible loss to the cultural heritage community in Syria and globally.”

A number of museum employees were also injured in the attack on the Damascus Citadel and museum. The Ancient city of Damascus, including the Citadel, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.

In May, the so-called Islamic State (Daesh) took control of Palmyra, which was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980, according to the agency.