"Russian and Syrian warplanes are bombarding ISIS positions and their lines of communication near Palmyra," said a battlefield source.
"These strikes facilitated the advance of the Syrian ground troops towards Palmyra as they keep cutting their distance to the ancient city," the source added.
Reports said fierce battles are underway between pro-government forces and ISIS militants around Palmyra and Quaryatayn, as the Army has managed to establish control over more points near Mahasa village.
Meanwhile, Syrian warplanes have been conducting airstrikes on ISIS positions in the city of Palmyra and around Hayal Mountain.
The ISIS seized Palmyra in Eastern Syria last May, which is among UNESCO World Heritage Sites known as the "Pearl of the Desert", however Syrian Army troops now seem to be committed to liberate the city from the grip of the terrorist group.
Earlier on Friday, the ISIS terrorist group lost one of its top Saudi commanders during clashes in Eastern suburb Plamyra (Tadmur) city in Homs province, on Thursday, in a development seen as a major breakthrough for the Syrian army.
The senior ISIS militant, Sultan bin Abdul Rahman, was a Saudi national who joined the terrorist group in 2014.
He was killed when the Syrian army forces as a part of their large-scale operation to take back the city of Tadmur raided ISIS fortifications in the Eastern areas just outside the city.
Abdul Rahman occupied several positions in ISIS and al-Qaeda and had fought with al-Qaeda militants in Afghanistan, Iraq, Chechenya and Algeria before going to Syria; FNA reported.
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