ISIS has escalated its scorched earth campaign in Syria, setting gas fields west of Palmyra ablaze as the army advanced on them.

After weeks of fighting to secure their outpost at the T4 airfield, troops broke through towards the ruined ancient Roman city yesterday morning, but not before retreating Isis fighters blew up gas wells in the area the night before.

In December, Palmyra fell for a second time to a surprise offensive by 5,000 Isis zealots — with Russia alleging that the US-led bombing coalition had eased pressure on the death cult in Raqqa and allowed militants to escape to the norther Iraqi city of Mosul.

On January 9, Isis blew up the Hayyan gas plant, Syria’s largest supplier, cutting supplies to Damascus and other areas amid freezing weather.

That was exacerbated by the al-Qaida-affiliated Levant Conquest Front’s poisoning and subsequent sabotage of drinking water supplies to 5.5 million people in Damascus and beyond in December, damage that is now being repaired by engineers following the government’s capture of the Barada valley.

Meanwhile, the US coalition continued its effort to destroy Syria’s infrastructure.

It bombed two bridges connecting Raqqa with the south bank of the River Euphrates yesterday morning in support of the Kurdish YPG militia’s offensive to capture the city.

The attacks also destroyed water pipes, cutting all supplies to hundreds of thousands of civilians in Isis-held areas.

Meanwhile, Turkey hosted a meeting of Syrian rebel groups that have signed up for peace talks in Geneva this month.

They joined the Syrian government in rejecting any proposals for a federal state under a proposed new constitution, which is the main Kurdish demand.

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