Antiquities department chief Maamoun Abdelkarim

Jihadists of Daesh group have blown up three of the famed tower tombs of Syria's ancient desert city of Palmyra, antiquities department chief Maamoun Abdelkarim told AFP Friday.

"They blew up three tower tombs, the best preserved and most beautiful," he said.

The new destruction at the world-renowned site, captured by the jihadists in May, follows their demolition of the ancient shrine of Baal Shamin and the 2,000-year-old Temple of Bel.