Turkish airstrike devastates 3,000-year-old Ain Dara temple in Syria

A Turkish military air strike has severely damaged the ancient Ain Dara archaeological site in northwestern Syria. The attack targeted an area containing the Iron Age temple, destroying carved basalt lions and winged sphinxes that were nearly 3,000 years old. According to Jonathan Tubb, the British Museum's keeper of the Middle East, the cultural loss equals that of Palmyra in significance. The bomb landed near the temple entrance where two giant one-meter-long stone footprints are carved, though their current condition remains unknown. Turkish forces were conducting operations against Kurdish separatist groups in the region when the strike occurred. The Art Newspaper reported Tubb's assessment of the destruction's magnitude.