Daesh militants managed to control huge swaths of northern area of ancient city of Tadmur, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Ramy Abdel Rahman told Sky News Arabia on Saturday.

He added that furious clashes have erupted between Daesh insurgents and Syrian regime forces north of Tadmur city.

Tadmur is a city in central Syria. The ancient ruins of Palmyra are situated about 500 meters southwest of Tadmur.