A Syrian official has called on the international community to protect the 2,000-year-old ruins of the ancient city of Palmyra, now threatened by advancing IS (formerly known as Isis) militants.

Maamoun Abdulkarim, Syria’s director general of antiquities and museums, said that the US-led coalition, which has been striking the extremists in Syria since September, should expand its raids to hit IS fighters battling government forces at the gates of Palmyra.

“If Daesh enter the city, it will be a human catastrophe,” he said, using an Arabic acronym for the group. “If Daesh enters the city it will mean destroying the temples, ruins and tombs.”

Palmyra is known for its Roman-era ruins, which once attracted thousands of tourists, who came to see its towering colonnades and a temple to the god Baal.

The Unesco world heritage site in the ancient oasis city is Syria’s most famous, and includes other attractions such as a theatre, Efqa Spring and the Temple of Baalshamin.

Since Syria’s conflict began in March 2011, looters have stolen artefacts from museums and damaged the ruins of Palmyra.

The Islamic State group has destroyed archaeological sites in neighbouring Iraq in recent months. The Sunni extremists, who have imposed a violent interpretation of Sharia law in the territories they control in Syria and Iraq, believe ancient relics promote idolatry.

The militants have released videos in recent months showing fighters proudly destroying artefacts with hammers and drills in a museum in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul and using explosives to wreck other sites.

Decorative grape stone carving in Palmyra.

In March, IS members in Iraq razed 3,000-year-old Nimrod and bulldozed 2,000-year-old Hatra – both Unesco world heritage sites. The move was described by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon as a “war crime”.

We hope that the experience that Iraq passed through is not repeated

“We hope that the experience that Iraq passed through is not repeated,” Abdulkarim said. “We need international solidarity to stop these thoughtless methods of the criminal Islamic State group. This is not Syrian heritage only. It is international.”

But it was unclear whether the US-led coalition would launch airstrikes that would effectively aid Syrian government forces defending the site. The US supports rebels fighting to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and insists it is not coordinating strikes with his government.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said IS fighters entered several buildings east of Palmyra before they were pushed back by government forces. Syrian state TV said troops repelled infiltration attempts east of the city, killing some IS fighters. The observatory said IS members “executed” 26 people, including 10 who were beheaded, near the city of Palmyra after accusing them of being government agents.

The city is also home to a notorious prison that carries its name in Arabic, Tadmur, where many members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood as well as other detainees have been held for years. In 1980, followers of the brother of then-president Hafez Assad reportedly killed hundreds of prisoners in the Tadmur prison. Rifaat Assad’s Defence Companies were said to be behind the killing of 500 to 1,000 prisoners in a single day after Assad, the current president’s father, escaped an assassination attempt.