By Peter Oborne, Maaloula
10:18PM BST, 15 Apr 2014
But on Tuesday, as Syrian army officers showed off their latest conquest in the long back-and-forth war with the country’s rebels, the monastery of St Sergius was a sorry sight.
The same shellfire that had helped to drive the rebels out had breached its massive limestone walls and, inside what had long been seen as a symbol of Syria’s religious freedom, broken icons lay on the ground alongside crosses, catechisms, and images of the Virgin Mary – though it was not possible to ascertain the cause.
The recapture of Maaloula, 40 miles from the Syrian capital, on Monday is being hailed by the country’s government as a vital strategic success: army officers said it marked the end of a long campaign to regain dominance over the Qalamun mountain range that runs along the country’s border with Lebanon.
The task was evidently not quite complete as a group of journalists was escorted to the site on Tuesday afternoon: the cliffs that surround the city echoed to the sound of machine-gun fire and explosions, and from outside the monastery smoke was visible, rising from the houses below.
Read Peter Oborne’s full article here:
Syria war: Maaloula’s monastery destroyed after Assad forces drive rebels out – Telegraph