On August 24, 2015, the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Irina Bokova, condemned the destruction of the ancient temple of Baalshamin in the Syrian site of Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site.  According to a news article, Syrian’s head of antiquities stated that Islamic State militants used explosives in the temple on August 23 and that “[t]he cella (inner area of the temple) was destroyed and the columns around collapsed.” The Director-General stated that “[s]uch acts are war crimes and their perpetrators must be accountable for their actions.” According to UNESCO, “Baalshamin temple was built nearly 2,000 years ago, and . . . is part of the larger site of Palmyra, one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world, famed for its Greco-Roman monumental ruins, repeatedly targeted by [the Islamic State] since May 2015.”